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Universal Cart: Google's AI Unifies Your Shopping Experience
19 May
Summary
- Universal Cart lets shoppers see all items from different retailers in one place.
- AI agents can now purchase items, book services, and reserve hotels.
- New protocols allow users to set spending limits for AI agents.
Google announced significant enhancements to its AI shopping experience at Google I/O, introducing Universal Cart. This feature will aggregate products added to carts across different retailers and platforms, including Gemini, YouTube, and Gmail, into one consolidated Google cart. The cart will proactively search for deals, monitor price history, and provide stock availability alerts in the background.
Launching in the US this summer, Universal Cart will initially be available on Google and Gemini, with Gmail and YouTube support to follow. Complementing this is the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), which empowers AI agents to execute purchases, order goods, and book accommodations on behalf of users, with partners including Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify.
To manage the increased capabilities of AI agents, Google has also updated its Agent Payments Protocol 2 (AP2). This protocol allows users to define spending limits and specifies what AI agents can purchase, while also establishing a permanent record for returns and order issues, ensuring greater control and transparency for consumers.
