Google launches a protocol allowing AI agents to autonomously execute payments.
Google has today announced the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2): an open standard developed to enable AI agents to securely execute payments. The protocol extends existing standards such as Agent2Agent (A2A) and the Model Context Protocol (MCP).
Authorization is Required
AI agents can autonomously execute transactions, but this raises questions about consent, authenticity, and liability. Therefore, AP2 requires two separate approvals from the user before a payment can be executed. First, an ‘intent mandate’ is needed: the user indicates which product they would like to buy within a specific budget. The app can then search for that product at the best possible price. With the ‘shopping mandate’, the user explicitly gives permission for the purchase to proceed.
AP2 can also make fully automated purchases, where the shopping cart is automatically generated when the right item is found. In this case, a more extensive intent mandate is required, with specific rules including price limits and the timing of the purchase. Each transaction is traceable so it can be investigated in case of suspicious transactions.
New Forms of Commerce
According to Google, AP2 can enable new shopping experiences. Think of an agent automatically buying a winter coat when it becomes available in a certain color and under a maximum price, or simultaneously booking a flight and hotel within a set budget.
AP2 is not tied to a specific payment method: it supports traditional payment cards, real-time bank transfers, and crypto payments. In collaboration with Coinbase, MetaMask, and the Ethereum Foundation, a separate crypto extension (x402) has even been developed.
Broad Industry Support
More than sixty players support the initiative, including Mastercard, American Express, PayPal, Adyen, Revolut, Intuit, ServiceNow, Salesforce, Worldpay, JCB, Okta, and Deloitte. They consider AP2 a necessary step towards secure and scalable agent-driven commerce.
AP2 is fully available as open source on GitHub. Google wants to further develop the protocol together and calls on the industry to contribute. Google is not the only one deploying AI agents for payments, according to SiliconANGLE. Perplexity offers a similar feature in its AI agent browser, and Stripe has developed its own application allowing AI agents to make purchases.