Amex unveils purchase-intent checks for AI shopping agents
The proposed payment flow ties an agent's checkout to customer-approved instructions and constraints, while partner adoption is still being discussed.
Customer instructions move into the payment flow
American Express introduced an Intent Intelligence Framework designed to check what a customer authorized before an AI shopping agent completes a purchase, TechCrunch reported on October 13. Amex says its Create Intent API would capture instructions such as a merchant, spending limit and product preferences. The customer then authenticates and approves the captured intent. The design produces an Intent ID and a proof-of-intent token, which can be used to obtain a digital payment credential for checkout instead of exposing the card number to the agent.
A proposed safeguard, not a measured result
Amex says the record of approved constraints could help block an agent’s mistaken purchase and support fraud or dispute reviews. Its executive told TechCrunch that the company has not yet seen an increase in agentic-commerce disputes; the framework is a proactive design, not a response to a documented surge. Amex hopes it becomes an industry standard and says it is discussing implementation with partners. The report does not establish broad deployment or show that the checks have reduced unauthorized transactions in practice.