American Express is introducing a new framework designed to prevent AI agents from buying products that customers never intended to purchase. The move addresses a growing concern as AI assistants begin handling online shopping and payments on behalf of users.
Announced on Tuesday (October 13, 2026), the framework, called Intent Intelligence, is designed to capture a customer's instructions, verify their approval and carry those conditions through the payment process. The aim is to ensure that an AI agent follows the buyer's actual requirements instead of acting on a mistaken interpretation.
The framework begins by recording the customer's purchase instructions through an application programming interface (API). These instructions can include the preferred merchant, product specifications, maximum spending limit and other conditions.
Customers then authenticate their identity and approve the captured intent. Once verified, the system generates an Intent ID and a Proof of Intent Token, which records the key conditions the customer has authorised.
The token can be used to obtain a secure payment credential for the transaction, allowing the agent to make a purchase without directly using the customer's actual card number. The system is also designed to help preserve evidence of what was approved if questions arise later.
According to Amex, the framework is intended to identify mistakes before a transaction is completed. For example, if a customer asks an AI agent to buy white Nike sneakers in size nine but the agent attempts to purchase Adidas shoes instead, the system could flag the mismatch and prevent the unauthorized purchase.
The technology could also prove useful when customers allow agents to reorder household essentials automatically. In these situations, users might specify a spending limit and product requirements instead of approving every individual purchase.
By checking transactions against previously confirmed instructions, the framework could reduce errors and make it easier to investigate payment disputes. According to Amex, it has not yet observed an increase in disputes linked to agentic commerce, but is preparing for wider adoption.
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The launch builds on Amex's Agentic Commerce Experiences (ACE) Developer Toolkit, introduced in April 2026. The broader initiative is designed to support secure payments by AI agents and improve transparency across transactions.
Consumer interest could help drive adoption. According to an Amex Trendex survey, 66% of surveyed US consumers said they were likely to use AI agents to research prices, while 61% expressed interest in AI-generated product or service recommendations over the following 12 months.