Agentic commerce, where AI agents act on behalf of consumers, offers significant potential but also introduces risks, particularly concerning data privacy. These AI agents require access to sensitive user data, including financial profiles, transaction histories, and payment information, to make purchasing decisions. This raises concerns about potential misuse and the need for robust security measures.
For businesses, the rise of agentic commerce necessitates adapting to AI-driven interactions, which means building AI-accessible online stores with data-rich digital catalogues. They also need to rethink fraud prevention and customer authentication methods, as traditional approaches become less effective when AI agents are involved. Industry participants are developing protocols to protect consumer and payment information, such as Open AI and Stripe's Agentic Commerce Protocol and VGS' Agentic Toolkit.
Despite the benefits of personalised offers and streamlined processes, businesses must address potential barriers such as financial considerations, data privacy requirements, and the difficulty of maintaining human oversight. As AI-driven traffic increases, businesses must differentiate between legitimate AI agents and malicious actors. Balancing innovation with security and data protection is crucial for the sustainable growth of agentic commerce.
