An AI-powered, automation-driven era is approaching. For automation to become truly autonomous, it must incorporate native payment capabilities. The market is already positioning for this shift.

• The payer is shifting from humans to AI agents, making payment infrastructure a central requirement for true autonomy

• Big Tech, including Google AP2 and OpenAI Delegated Payment, is designing approval-based automated payment systems on top of existing platform infrastructure

• Crypto, through ERC-8004 and x402, enables intermediary-free payment models using NFT-based identity and smart contracts

• Big Tech prioritizes convenience and consumer protection, while crypto emphasizes user sovereignty and broader agent-level execution

• The key question ahead is…