Google, OpenAI and Visa clash over AI agent protocols lacking trust
Google, OpenAI and Visa are squabbling over the rules that would let AI agents move money. One headline even called it a showdown: “Google vs. OpenAI vs.
Visa: competing agent protocols threaten the future of AI commerce.” All three seem to agree a shared, trusted framework is still missing, so AI-driven payments feel more like a thought experiment than a real service. As a quoted source put it, “AI agents, as of now, don’t have the ability or the trust infrastructure to make people and banking institutions feel safe enough to let it loose on someone’s cash.” Companies that want agents to pay for stuff probably need a common language - the sentence that follows in the report just trails off, hinting at a consensus that hasn’t formed yet. Until a reliable, interoperable standard shows up, the idea of autonomous agents buying things for users stays in limbo, and the three firms keep arguing over who gets to write the rules.
AI agents, as of now, don’t have the ability or the trust infrastructure to make people and banking institutions feel safe enough to let it loose on someone’s cash. Enterprises and other industry players understand that, to allow agents to pay for purchases, there must be a common language shared among the model and agent providers, the bank, the merchant, and, to a lesser extent, the buyer. And so, over the past few weeks, three competing agentic commerce standards have emerged: Google announced the Agent Pay Protocol (AP2) with partners including PayPal, American Express, Mastercard, Salesforce and ServiceNow.
Soon after, OpenAI and Stripe debuted the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), and just this week, Visa launched the Trusted Agent Protocol (TAP). All these protocols aim to give agents the trust layer they need to convince banks and their customers that they’re money is safe in the hands of an AI agent.
It seems we’re at a point where a common language for AI agents might finally take shape, but competing protocols could still hold things back. Google, OpenAI and Visa are already sparring over how agents should process payments, and the missing trust framework is obvious. Walmart’s recent tie-up with OpenAI shows there’s real commercial hunger for agents that can shop for users, yet the article points out that today’s agents “don’t have the ability or the trust infrastructure” to convince shoppers or banks to hand over money.
Because of that, many companies treat the promise of smooth AI-driven commerce as tentative. ChatGPT’s rise as a browser alternative proves how fast conversational tools can surface product details, but moving from a suggestion to an actual purchase still depends on solid security guarantees. So the push to standardize how agents talk to each other is clearly underway; whether Google, OpenAI or Visa will converge on a single solution, or keep the market fragmented, remains uncertain.
The next moves will likely decide if agents can go beyond advice and actually complete transactions.
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Common Questions Answered
What are the three competing agentic commerce standards mentioned in the article?
The article mentions that three competing agentic commerce standards have emerged from Google, OpenAI, and Visa. These protocols represent different approaches to creating a trusted framework for AI-driven transactions. Each company is advocating for their own standard rather than collaborating on a shared language.
Why do AI agents currently lack the ability to handle payments according to the article?
AI agents currently lack the necessary trust infrastructure to make people and banking institutions feel safe enough to handle cash transactions. The article emphasizes that without a common language shared among model providers, banks, merchants, and buyers, AI-driven payments remain theoretical. This trust gap prevents agents from being deployed for real financial transactions.
How does Walmart's partnership with OpenAI illustrate the commercial appetite for AI agents?
Walmart's recent partnership with OpenAI demonstrates significant commercial interest in developing agents that can shop on behalf of users. This collaboration highlights the growing demand for AI-powered commerce solutions in the retail sector. However, the article notes that even with such partnerships, current agents still lack the trust infrastructure needed for widespread adoption.
What specific problem arises from having competing AI agent protocols according to the article?
Competing AI agent protocols create fragmentation that threatens the future of AI commerce by preventing the development of a shared, trusted framework. The lack of standardization means AI-driven transactions cannot scale effectively across different platforms and institutions. This three-way dispute between Google, OpenAI, and Visa stalls progress toward reliable AI payment systems.