Google announces a new protocol to facilitate commerce using AI agents [View all]

[highplainsdem]

Source: TechCrunch

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The standard, developed with companies like Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target, and Walmart, lets agents work across different parts of customer buying processes, including discovery and post-purchase support. The core idea is that the standard could facilitate these various parts of the process instead of requiring connections with different agents.

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“This is one of the really exciting parts about agentic,” said Shopify CEO and founder Tobi Lutke. “It’s really good at finding people who have specific interests and finding the product that is just perfect for them. Like, I would have never searched for this product, but somehow it found me right on the other side. This kind of serendipity is where the best of commerce happens.”

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In another consumer-facing change, Google said it will now allow brands to offer a special discount to users while they are looking for a product recommendation when using the AI mode. For instance, if you are searching for a rug using a query like “I’m looking for a modern, stylish rug for a high-traffic dining room. I host a lot of dinner parties, so I want something that is easy to clean,” brands can set up their campaign in a way to offer you a discount at that moment.

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Companies like Google, Amazon, Walmart, and OpenAI have been releasing new standards and products to infuse AI into every bit of shopping, both on the consumer and merchant side. Earlier in the month, Adobe noted that traffic driven to seller sites by generative AI grew by 693.4% during the holiday season, though the report didn’t specify how much of this traffic translated into sales.

Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/11/google-announces-a-new-protocol-to-facilitate-commerce-using-ai-agents/

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More at the link. No paywall.

Sigh. More AI, for companies to better target and pressure you with.

I don't want AI infused into "every bit of shopping." I don't want AI at all, especially via companies that seem greedier and more unethical by the day.