Effectively managing agent-based payments has become a key focus for payment providers.

In the AI era, as agents gain autonomy, how can users feel secure allowing them to "assist" with spending when payments are involved?

At the Alipay AI Payment Ecosystem Conference on May 26, a staff member explained that more solutions are being developed for agent-based payments. Through Alipay AI Pay, agents can generate payment orders when needed. Users can opt for manual confirmation for each transaction or set a small-amount threshold for direct agent payments.

Looking ahead, as agents may become the primary executors of payment instructions, effectively managing agent payments is emerging as a strategic direction for Alipay and other payment providers in future competition.

At the conference, Alipay officially launched its first AI wallet for individual users. Beyond fund management, the AI wallet includes authorization and management features for agents, enabling real-time oversight of "agent tasks" before and during payments, along with post-payment bill queries. Alipay also introduced Token Pay services, addressing various token payment needs to help large model companies streamline user subscriptions and one-click token top-ups in apps like Claw.

Alipay announced that "AI Payment" now supports 95% of mainstream agent frameworks. This includes general agents like Qianwen, JVS Claw, Claude code, and Hermes Agent; smart devices such as Qianwen AI glasses, Rokid, and Future Smart AI earphones; smart cabins from automakers like Li Auto, Chery, Geely, and Dongfeng; and leading AI tool platforms including TRAE SOLO, Qoder, and Kouzi.

Payment transactions in AI scenarios are becoming a crucial new growth area for Alipay. Just three months after announcing on February 12 that AI Pay had exceeded 120 million transactions, Alipay revealed at the conference that it has now completed 300 million AI agent payment transactions.

Several challenges in AI payments warrant attention. Jiang Xinghao, Standing Committee Member and Vice President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, stated that in the AI economy era, agent payment systems must be built on "triple trustworthiness": identity trustworthiness, ensuring the agent is legitimate; intent trustworthiness, confirming payments stem from genuine intent; and execution trustworthiness, guaranteeing secure and reliable processes.

Li Jiajia, Co-President of Ant Group's Digital Payment Business Group, noted in an interview that identifying genuine user intent is a major challenge in the AI payment era. He explained that in the internet era, payment providers could not fully discern user purchase intent due to data boundaries and privacy concerns. For agent payments, ensuring both security and convenience requires confirming the user's actual scenario and intent, necessitating breakthroughs in technology and ecosystem collaboration.

On one hand, the AI era demands more contextual information and confirmation from transaction parties during payments. This implies that payment providers must offer technical solutions like ACT protocols while safeguarding data security and privacy. On the other hand, accurately identifying user intent for agents relates to model capabilities, making the payment provider's ecosystem role increasingly critical.

"Developing AI payments alone isn't enough; we must collaborate with the ecosystem to elevate security control to new levels," Li Jiajia emphasized. He added that AI payments require participation from users, agent entry points, agent developers, and service providers, with payment acceptance services for AI payments also being refined.

This indicates that the AI payment market remains in its infancy, with industry observers noting it is "not yet time to discuss competitors." At the conference, Alipay also announced an incentive program for AI developers, including token-specific subsidies, zero payment fees for individual developers, and supply support. Payment providers are actively working to expand the AI tools market.

Amid early moves by leading players, while the future trajectory of the AI payment landscape remains uncertain, it is clear that this will be a long-term race centered on ecosystem development and user trust.