Artificial intelligence is entering a new phase in which systems can act autonomously on behalf of users. These “agentic” AI systems can interpret objectives, break them into tasks, and interact with digital services with limited human input. In payments, this could shift transactions from human-initiated instructions to agent-mediated decisions. While still emerging, rapid experimentation suggests growing relevance. This note examines how agentic AI may affect payment systems, focusing on authorization, liquidity, settlement, compliance, and resilience. It highlights a key tension between probabilistic AI behavior and the deterministic requirements of payment infrastructures. Using a three-layer framework—intent, authorization, and settlement—the analysis identifies where agentic capabilities may add value while preserving control and finality. It reviews use cases and risks, including traceability, opacity, systemic effects, cybersecurity, and legal uncertainty. Overall, the note emphasizes that outcomes will depend on institutional design and governance as much as technology.
Davidovic et al. (Wed,) studied this question.