Agentic commerce – whose responsibility is it anyway?

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The origins of artificial intelligence (AI) as a field of research are widely traced back to the Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence. In 1956, mathematician John McCarthy was seized with exploring the potential for computers to possess intelligence.

That year, he convened the inaugural summer research project on AI, aiming “to proceed on the basis of the conjecture that every aspect of learning or any other feature of intelligence can in principle be so precisely described that a machine can be made to simulate it”.

Now, 70 years later, AI has fully manifested as the main character in the story of modern human behaviour.

Algorithmic-augmented operations – from autonomous systems capable of operating with minimal intervention to human-in-the-loop systems that afford oversight – are cutting across almost all economic sectors.

One of these sectors is e-commerce and the rapid growth of agentic trade, where AI agents browse, compare options and apply user preferences, and in some instances pay for transactions – earning the ‘digital concierge’ title.

The adoption of agentic commerce however comes with the risk of commercial crime where human behaviour is the target.

In this episode of The Business of Africa Podcast, we focus on consumer education though the lenses of the Visa Stay Secure study. We pay particular attention to consumer awareness and behaviour in Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and South Africa.

Irene Auma is head of Fraud and Risk Management for Sub-Saharan Africa at Visa. She contends that while AI adoption facilitates convenience there is a trust deficit, compelling institutions and consumers alike to navigate this era with responsibility.

For previous episodes of The Business of Africa podcast, click here.