American Express Introduces Intent Checks for AI Agent Purchases

American Express is introducing an Intent Intelligence Framework that records and verifies customer instructions before an AI agent completes a purchase, according to TechCrunch. The framework is part of the company's Agentic Commerce Experiences developer toolkit, which launched in April.

A Create Intent API captures constraints such as the merchant, maximum budget and product preferences. After the customer verifies their identity and approves the instructions, the system creates an Intent ID and a Proof of Intent Token. The token is used to obtain a secure digital payment credential, allowing the agent to pay without receiving the customer's card number.

Amex says the approach keeps the purchase aligned with what the customer approved. The company said it has not yet seen an increase in disputes because of agentic commerce but wanted to be proactive. It is in discussions with partners across the payments ecosystem about implementing the toolkit.