Google Donates Agent Payments Protocol to FIDO Alliance
Google has officially declared its intention to donate the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) to the FIDO Alliance. This strategic move aims to facilitate the establishment of secure and interoperable standards for agent-led commerce.
This initiative is part of a broader effort spearheaded by the FIDO Alliance, which endeavors to create open frameworks for agentic interactions. In these interactions, artificial intelligence agents act on behalf of users to authenticate, execute transactions, and fulfill various tasks.
The FIDO Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to developing authentication methods that diminish reliance on passwords, has established the Agentic Authentication Technical Working Group. This group is tasked with investigating how agent-initiated transactions can function securely at scale.
In this collaborative effort, Google will furnish the AP2 protocol alongside a verifiable intent framework co-developed with Mastercard.
This model seeks to allow users to authorize AI agents within clearly defined parameters while maintaining a reliable record of intent.
The FIDO Alliance has articulated its focus on three fundamental areas: enabling verifiable user instructions through phishing-resistant authorization techniques, ensuring robust agent authentication so that services can confirm actions executed on behalf of legitimate users, and delineating trusted delegation frameworks for commerce to guarantee that transactions remain within user-approved confines.
As part of this partnership, Google has also unveiled a new iteration of AP2, which adds support for “human not present” payments.
This capability will empower AI agents to execute transactions autonomously based on pre-authorized instructions.
Potential applications include time-sensitive acquisitions, such as securing limited-release products or event tickets, without necessitating real-time user involvement.
The FIDO Alliance will manage the advancement of these standards through the working group’s efforts. Simultaneously, a Payments Technical Working Group, chaired by Mastercard and Visa, will concentrate on commercial use cases.
Google emphasized that transferring AP2 to the FIDO Alliance will ensure the protocol remains open and adaptable across multiple platforms, benefiting from a wider spectrum of industry perspectives.
“AI agents are rapidly becoming integral to how individuals accomplish tasks online—ranging from making purchases to managing daily responsibilities,” noted Andrew Shikiar, Executive Director and CEO of the FIDO Alliance.
“To scale this safely, it is imperative that users trust these actions are secure, authorized, and genuinely reflect their intent.
“These initiatives unite the industry in establishing a reliable foundation for agent-driven interactions across authentication and commerce.”
Source link: Nationaltechnology.co.uk.
