Google launched new protocol for agent-driven purchases

Google announced a new open protocol for purchases initiated by AI agents — automated software programs that can shop and make decisions on behalf of users. AI payments protocol supporting credit cards and stablecoins, built with Coinbase, the Ethereum Foundation and over 60 partners, per Fortune. GitHub.

Called the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), the system is meant to be interoperable between AI platforms, payment systems and vendors, providing a traceable paper trail for each transaction.

In collaboration with cryptocurrency outfits Coinbase, Metamask and the Ethereum foundation, Google also produced an extension that would integrate the cryptocurrency-oriented x402 protocol, allowing for AI-driven purchasing from crypto wallets.
A number of other tech companies are working on their own agentic purchasing systems — most notably Perplexity, which allows for a Buy With Pro service in its agentic browser. The payment provider Stripe also produces software tools for agentic purchasing on its platform, though they are not as comprehensive as AP2.