Amex introduces a framework to prevent AI agents from making unauthorized purchases

American Express has introduced the "Intent Intelligence Framework" to prevent AI agents from making unauthorized purchases. This framework captures and authenticates customer purchase intent before AI completes transactions, ensuring instructions are followed throughout the payment lifecycle. It begins with a Create Intent API that logs customer constraints (merchant, budget, product preferences), followed by user authentication and generation of an Intent ID and Proof of Intent Token. These secure digital credentials protect against fraud and misfires, such as purchasing incorrect items. Amex aims for this to become an industry standard and is integrating it into its Agentic Commerce Experiences (ACE) Developer Toolkit. The framework addresses growing consumer interest in AI-assisted shopping while maintaining transaction security and trust.