Trust and Control Emerge as Key Barriers to AI-Enabled Commerce
A new survey by Alipay+ and S&P Global reveals that while AI is rapidly adopted for shopping discovery, its use for transactions is hindered by trust and control concerns. The study, which polled 6,000 consumers across nine markets, found that 81.3% use AI for travel discovery, but only 26% are interested in using agentic AI for purchases. Consumers globally demand transparency and control, with 30% citing spending caps as a non-negotiable control, and 75% of businesses recognizing the need for real-time permission revocation. This gap between AI discovery and execution stems from privacy concerns and a preference for human advice or independent planning.
Agentic commerce is gaining traction in Asia, with Deloitte projecting that 76% of consumer businesses in APAC will adopt agentic AI within two years, up from 29% currently. This growth is driven by convenience and automation benefits, with 25% of consumers citing time savings as a top motivator. However, the path to widespread adoption faces significant hurdles related to consumer trust and control over autonomous purchasing decisions. Only 26% of consumers are interested in AI for transactions, reflecting skepticism about delegating purchases. Ant International, based in Singapore, is collaborating with Mastercard and Visa on a "know-your-agent" framework to verify AI agents and ensure interoperability across payment networks. In India, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is preparing to roll out agentic payments on UPI, potentially making it one of the world's largest networks for such transactions. This initiative includes building a registry to monitor AI agents, starting with low-value purchases like groceries. These efforts highlight a proactive approach by Asian stakeholders to address the trust deficit and establish foundational infrastructure for agentic commerce, which McKinsey forecasts could orchestrate US$3 trillion to US$5 trillion globally by 2030.
