Stop treating AI like a consultant. It’s becoming an employee.
For years, the narrative has been that Artificial Intelligence helps you decide. It analyzes data, suggests a strategy, or recommends a product. But the final click? That was always human.
That safety net is disappearing.
DBS Bank and Visa are currently piloting a framework where AI agents don’t just search for products—they buy them. This isn’t a futuristic concept; real transactions for food and beverages have already happened using this technology.
What This Means for Business Leaders
We are moving towards “agent-driven commerce.”
In this model, software doesn’t wait for you to log in and approve every routine expense. Instead, it operates within a sandbox of rules you define. Think about the operational friction in your business today:
- Restocking office supplies.
- Renewing software subscriptions.
- Booking routine travel.
Currently, these require human attention. In this new model, an AI agent operates with a budget and a mandate. It negotiates, selects, and pays.
But Who Holds the Wallet?
This is where the DBS and Visa pilot gets interesting. They aren’t bypassing the banking system; they are embedding it.
The AI uses tokenized credentials (secure, digital versions of cards). The bank remains the “control layer.” If the AI agent tries to buy a sports car when it’s only authorized for printer paper, the transaction fails at the bank level.
This creates a necessary bridge between automation and governance.
The Trust Hurdle
For founders and executives, the technology is the easy part. The challenge lies in delegation. We are comfortable automating emails; automating cash flow is a different beast.
However, the trajectory is clear. We are evolving from AI as a productivity assistant to AI as an operational participant.
The pilot is starting small—groceries and coffee. But as confidence grows, we will likely see this expand into complex B2B procurement. The question isn’t if AI will handle your payments, but how much autonomy you will eventually grant it.
