In a new Visa Business to AI (B2AI) Report, developed with Morning Consult, Visa defines the next era of commerce as a world where AI agents don’t just assist shopping,  they evaluate options, negotiate, and complete transactions on behalf of people and businesses. Nearly 40% of Americans surveyed have already made a purchase they normally would not have considered because an AI agent or tool recommended it, an early sign that algorithms are actively shaping demand rather than just filtering it.

“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.” In this machine mediated environment, he stressed that trust is critical infrastructure,  if consumers and businesses cannot trust AI to AI commerce, adoption will stall.