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AI agent

By Patrice Calvez Updated: August 2026 Read time : 2 min

An artificial-intelligence system able to act toward a goal: search, compare, decide and execute actions — including purchases — with a degree of autonomy defined by its user.

DEFINITION

AI agent — An artificial-intelligence system able to act toward a goal: search, compare, decide and execute actions — including purchases — with a degree of autonomy defined by its user.

In practice

Applied to commerce, this ranges from comparing offers (already common) to autonomous purchasing within a defined scope. Autonomy is a property of the mandate the user grants, not of the agent itself.

See also

NEXT TERM Agentic commerce
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