Today I take you inside a chilling scenario that started with a simple eBay hack and led me to a much bigger question: what happens when AI agents start shopping for us with full autonomy? As commerce shifts into the age of agentic AI, entirely new fraud frontiers are emerging. And the risks are far greater than anything we’ve faced before.

In this episode I break down why our traditional defenses are crumbling, what kinds of vulnerabilities agent-driven transactions open up, and how companies are racing to build new trust systems. From biometric iris scans to digital agent passports, I explore the massive stakes as we approach a future where trillions of dollars in transactions could be handled by autonomous AI.

This episode is sponsored by Connected Commerce at Acosta Group

Timeline

[00:00] - The story begins with my hijacked eBay account and the unsettling realization it sparked.
[01:28] - The nightmare scenario: fraudsters compromising AI agents instead of accounts.
[02:18] - Why retailers must verify not just people, but the agents acting on their behalf.
[03:00] - How deepfakes and AI-powered fraud are rendering old defenses obsolete.
[05:12] - The cutting-edge solutions being developed.
[06:51] - PayPal’s bold projection: 25% of all e-commerce agent-driven by 2030.
[07:30] - Why new trust systems (not just blocking) are essential for the future of commerce.

Links & Resources

Read my article How Open AI's "Operator" Will Change Retail As We Know It
Global identity verification company Trulioo
AI fraud management company Riskified
Human verification company World
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