# Amex unveils Intent Intelligence Framework to verify AI agent purchases

published: 2026-10-13T13:06:12.178Z
topic: payments
source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/13/amex-introduces-a-framework-to-prevent-ai-agents-from-making-unauthorized-purchases/
url: https://aiagentnews.io/stories/amex-unveils-intent-intelligence-framework-to-verify-ai-agent-purchases

American Express has introduced a framework that captures and authenticates a customer's purchase intent before an AI agent completes a transaction. The company hopes the Intent Intelligence Framework will become an industry standard for AI-powered payments.

The framework starts with a Create Intent API that records the customer's instructions along with constraints such as a merchant name, maximum budget and product preferences. The customer then authenticates and approves the captured intent. Amex then issues an Intent ID and a Proof of Intent Token, and the token is used to obtain a payment credential that the agent uses at checkout in place of the card number.

Amex says the Intent ID and token can also support fraud prevention and dispute resolution later in the transaction. Amex VP Hannah Bozian said the approach checks intent earlier than other implementations, using an example of an agent buying Adidas shoes when the customer asked for Nike. The framework extends the ACE Developer Toolkit that Amex launched in April, and the company is in discussions with payments partners about adopting it.

## Why it matters if you build agents

Developers whose agents spend money on a user's behalf may need to collect and store explicit, signed purchase constraints before checkout, along with a log of what each agent was authorized to buy.

Amex's approach is a proposal being rolled out with partners, so developers should not assume the Intent ID or token flow works across all card networks or merchants yet.