Visa is Launching an AI That Spends Your Money – Good, Bad & Ugly
Visa, one of the world’s largest payment networks, recently announced its “Intelligent Commerce” program. This initiative enables AI agents to search, recommend, and complete consumer purchases, marking a bold step in the evolution of the traditional payments system.
Representatives from CreditCoin, Kite AI, and Space ID told BeInCrypto that while the move brings unparalleled user convenience, it also raises anxiety over ceding financial control to an autonomous system.
The Dawn of Autonomous CommerceBy launching Intelligent Commerce, Visa formally announced a new era of commerce that other payment giants will likely follow. In a way, the announcement was inevitable.
With the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI), businesses wanting to stay ahead of the curve are rushing to integrate its features into their products and services.
Indeed, Visa’s initiative is notable. Using the Intelligent Commerce program, consumers will effectively delegate their purchasing power to autonomous systems. These agents will make the buying decisions by analyzing user data and considering the limits set by the consumer.
Meet Visa Intelligent Commerce: AI agents that can find, shop and buy for consumers – from discovery to post-purchase – delivering a more personal, more secure experience. #VisaProductDrop pic.twitter.com/gergCNiSpD
— Visa (@Visa) April 30, 2025The entire process changes the paradigm of traditional payment methods.
“You’re not just handing over a payment method; you’re delegating decision-making power to an AI agent. That brings a completely new layer to consumer identity and autonomy. Instead of logging into your bank or checking out on a website, you’re now telling an intelligent system, ‘Here are my rules; go make decisions on my behalf.’ It’s the beginning of programmable spending identities,” CreditCoin founder Tae Oh told BeInCrypto.
The technological infrastructure that upholds the system itself is also remarkable.
Securing AI-Driven Payments with TokenizationIn Visa’s Intelligent Commerce program, tokenization is critical in providing seamless functionality.
When users connect their Visa card to an AI agent in the Intelligent Commerce program, their card details aren’t stored or shared directly with the AI.
Instead, Visa’s secure payment systems and passkeys authenticate the user, and then their card information is converted into a digital token.
This process creates an “AI-ready card,” allowing the AI agent to interact only with this token rather than the sensitive card number itself.
Visa wants to give AI Agents "tokens" so they can pay without you ever seeing a checkout page.
Visa's CEO told investors this is their #1 priority.
Here's how it will work 