American Express has introduced verification of purchase instructions before an AI agent makes a payment
American Express has introduced Intent Intelligence Framework in ACE Developer Toolkit. The customer is to verify their identity and confirm the purchase instructions before payment. The agent then uses a digital payment credential instead of the actual card number.
American Express has introduced Intent Intelligence Framework, which is part of ACE Developer Toolkit. According to the company, it is intended to capture and verify the customer's purchase intent before an AI agent completes the transaction, and to retain their instructions for subsequent stages of purchase processing.
The process begins with Create Intent API, which captures instructions and constraints, such as the merchant, maximum budget or product preferences. The customer then verifies their identity and confirms the captured instructions. An Intent ID and a Proof of Intent Token containing the customer's main constraints are generated. The token is used to obtain a secure digital payment credential, which the agent uses when paying instead of the actual card number.
According to American Express, Intent ID and Proof of Intent Token can also support fraud prevention and dispute resolution. The company says it has not yet seen an increase in disputes over purchases made by AI agents; this is preparation for their broader use. It is discussing the rollout of ACE Developer Toolkit with partners in the payments ecosystem.
Why it matters
The verification step moves ahead of payment: the customer confirms specific instructions against which the purchase made by the agent can be assessed. According to American Express, this could make it possible to stop, for example, a purchase of a different brand from the one the customer requested. However, the source does not demonstrate the effectiveness of this mechanism in practice.
Two audiences, two different impacts
What this means
For individuals
In the process described, a person entrusting a purchase to an AI agent confirms both the captured requirements and their identity. This allows them to assess before payment whether the agent has correctly captured their budget and preferences.
For a business
Businesses integrating payments by AI agents gain a mechanism in ACE Developer Toolkit for recording approved instructions. According to American Express, this record can be used in fraud prevention and dispute resolution.
Risks and complianceCheck the original
Event sources
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