Visa Defines the Next Era of Commerce: When AI Becomes the Customer

WHY THIS MATTERS: This report represents a definitive shift in the fintech landscape, moving the focus from generative AI as an assistant to intelligent systems as autonomous economic actors. The widespread willingness of US businesses to permit AI-to-AI negotiation validates the arrival of agentic commerce as a new trend. However, the most critical finding for financial institutions is the trust gap: consumers are three times more likely to allow AI to compare prices than complete a purchase, and trust levels jump significantly when the system is backed by a major payment network or bank. This creates a clear mandate for Visa and its peers to rapidly define and embed the necessary trust layer—including governance, visibility, and control—into this nascent B2AI economic model, ensuring they remain the essential infrastructure for transactions executed by machine intelligence.

A majority of business leaders are preparing for a world where artificial intelligence doesn’t just assist commerce, it participates in it. New research from Visa (NYSE:V) underscores how quickly that shift is gaining momentum.

The Visa Business-to-AI (B2AI) Report, conducted in conjunction with Morning Consult, highlights how AI is already influencing demand. Nearly 40% of Americans have made a purchase they normally would not have considered as a result of using an AI agent or tool. This is an early indication that intelligent systems are beginning to shape how people discover and decide what to buy.

The new report also reveals that 53% of U.S. businesses in the survey would allow AI agents to negotiate prices or terms directly with other AI agents on their behalf, signaling that AI-to-AI commerce is poised to scale.

At the same time, 71% of businesses say they are willing to optimize products, offers and experiences specifically for AI agents, while 77% are already using or piloting AI in their operations.

Why B2AI Has Arrived

Visa defines this next phase of commerce as B2AI, an emerging economic model in which AI agents act as active participants in commercial decision-making and execution, while humans remain accountable for intent and outcomes.

“Commerce is moving from market-to-human to market-to-machine,” said Frank Cooper III, Chief Marketing Officer at Visa. “B2AI describes what happens next as AI agents begin evaluating, negotiating and transacting on behalf of people. In that world, as always, trust becomes the critical infrastructure. If we don’t build it into machine-mediated commerce, adoption stalls.”

AI Is Moving from Assistant to Economic Proxy

For years, AI has optimized recommendations and streamlined operations. The new data suggests it is now crossing into decision-making territory. Among business decision-makers surveyed:

• 53% would permit AI agents to negotiate directly with other AI agents
• 88% are willing to provide pricing or inventory data to enterprise AI systems
• 55% are already familiar with the concept of B2AI commerce

This signals a turning point: brands are no longer just marketing to humans — they are preparing to transact more freely with intelligent systems acting on behalf of customers and enterprises.

Consumers Are Ready, with Guardrails

On the consumer side, acceptance is accelerating, but trust remains the defining factor for full adoption. The report found:

• 58% of Americans are comfortable with AI comparing prices
• 55% are comfortable with AI applying discounts
• 38% are comfortable with AI completing a purchase

Meanwhile:

• Only 27% are comfortable allowing AI to spend money autonomously without limits
• 60% would not allow AI to spend any amount without approval

“The message is unmistakable: people are open to AI acting for them, not instead of them,” added Cooper. “Our findings show that trust is the adoption switch for agentic commerce. Consumers are willing to let AI act on their behalf, but only when they retain visibility, control and the ability to intervene.”

Notably, trust increases significantly when financial institutions are involved:

• 36% trust bank-backed AI systems
• 35% trust payment network-enabled AI
• Only 28% trust independent AI agents

Generation Acceleration

The shift is especially pronounced among younger consumers.

Nearly half of Gen Z (48%) say they trust payment network-enabled AI systems, compared to only 20% of Boomers. Among Gen Z and Millennials using AI shopping assistants, nearly half report making purchases they wouldn’t otherwise have considered due to AI recommendations.

A Defining Moment for Commerce

The data signals that AI is shifting from support system to transaction participant. Businesses are preparing for it. Consumers are cautiously embracing it. Trust will determine how fast it scales.

To learn more about the report, visit here.

FF NEWS TAKE: The data unequivocally confirms that AI commerce is moving the needle. The race is now on to operationalize B2AI models before independent agents run rampant. The primary next step to watch for is the regulatory response to agent liability and fraud. Financial institutions must accelerate efforts to embed their trusted systems directly into the decisioning architecture of these intelligent agents, turning a control challenge into a massive new opportunity in agentic payments.