Amex Introduces Framework to Prevent AI Agents from Making Unauthorized Purchases

American Express has unveiled the Intent Intelligence Framework, a system that captures a user’s purchase intent and authenticates it before an AI agent executes a transaction. The framework generates a unique Intent ID and a Proof of Intent Token that encodes the customer’s constraints, such as merchant name, budget, and product preferences, and creates a secure digital payment credential for the agent to use at checkout.

The intent data is collected via a Create Intent API that can be integrated with any agentic commerce model, giving developers flexibility to plug the solution into existing AI pipelines. This API works alongside Amex’s ACE Developer Toolkit, which already provides services for agentic commerce and now includes the intent functionality.

Why it matters for GPU / AI infrastructure

Consumer surveys show strong appetite for AI‑driven purchasing, with two‑thirds of U.S. users willing to let AI agents find the best price and over 60% expecting recommendation services in the next year. Amex is therefore building the framework proactively to support scaling agentic commerce while keeping transactions seamless, trusted, and secure.

By validating intent early in the transaction flow, the framework reduces the risk of mis‑directed purchases—such as an agent ordering the wrong brand—and improves fraud detection and dispute handling. This early‑stage validation aligns with the need for robust security in GPU‑accelerated AI services that power autonomous shopping agents.