Beyond just shopping and booking, AI agents will now be able to make UPI payments; a company has found a way to enable this.

AI Agents UPI Payment: While AI agents could previously handle tasks like booking and shopping, they required human intervention for payments. That limitation has now been removed, allowing agents to execute UPI payments independently.

AI Agents UPI Payment: AI is no longer limited to merely answering questions. Following the era of AI chatbots, we have entered the age of AI agents capable of completing specific tasks. An AI agent can handle everything from shopping and planning to booking your trip; you simply need to issue a command stating your intent, and they can manage the subsequent steps on their own. Until now, AI agents could not process online payments, but this hurdle has been overcome. Along with shopping and booking, these agents will now be able to facilitate UPI payments.

What are AI agents?

AI agents are software systems designed to execute tasks based on user commands. They possess capabilities such as reasoning, planning, and memory, meaning they can learn and make decisions independently. Some AI agents operate within computer systems—handling tasks like ticket booking or grocery ordering—while others exist in the physical world. Robots, automated drones, and self-driving cars are considered examples of real-world AI agents.

A solution for UPI payments found

Previously, AI agents required human authentication to process payments, but that complication has now been eliminated. Pine Labs claims to have devised a solution for this. The company has developed a system called the Pine Labs Payment Protocol (P3P), which enables AI agents to make payments without human authentication. This system leverages existing UPI payment infrastructure, specifically UPI One Time Mandates (OTM) and Reserve Pay. Regarding OTM, it allows users to pre-approve future payments; it blocks a specific amount in the bank account for a single future transaction. Separately, the system developed by NPCI handles recurring and automatic payments, primarily for subscription-based services.

Won't AI agents drain the account?

Once permission is granted to the AI ​​to handle funds, the question arises: could the system empty the account? The company states that 'Grantex' prevents this. It acts as a digital identity and permission layer for the AI ​​agent, ensuring that spending remains within set limits and maintaining a record of every transaction.