Meta and Sierra have announced a collaboration with Genesys, Instinct, Rocket, Shopify, Stripe, and Walmart to develop the Personal Agent Protocol, which defines how personal assistants interact with merchants. The specifications will be open to any implementers, with the first version v0.1 planned for release later this month, currently still in the co-development stage.

The announcement was made by Sierra co-founders Bret Taylor and Clay Bavor. The protocol uses OAuth to establish sessions: assistants can first check inventory or return policies as guests; when accounts are involved, users log in on the merchant's page or use credentials provided to the assistant, choosing read-only or write permissions. Questions before logging in and changes after logging in count as the same visit. Merchants can decide to open their websites, interfaces based on MCP and OpenAPI, or their own customer service assistants, with warranty claims and similar matters requiring dialogue going through the latter.

The design addresses gaps on the merchant side. Currently, most personal assistants still operate like humans, opening web pages, filling out forms, and resorting to phone calls or web chats when unsuccessful, which is time-consuming and prone to failure. Direct connections can complete the same task in seconds, but brands need to know who the assistant represents, the scope of authorization, and intent. Tony Bates, Chairman and CEO of Genesys, stated that personal AI is becoming the new front door for businesses. Kevin Miller, head of payments at Stripe, mentioned that the company joined to provide merchants with a standard way to identify customer assistants.

Amazon is not on the list. About a month ago, Meta launched the personal assistant Muse, with David Singleton, Vice President of Engineering and Consumer Products, stating it has millions of users in the U.S. and is used for event registrations, gift finding, and scheduling long-delayed appointments. On September 20, Amazon cut off Muse's shopping capabilities, stating that unauthorized AI agents accessing the service violate its terms of use. Amazon claimed that Meta did not provide prior notice, and the agent did not disclose its identity while browsing, seemingly scraping and storing customer credentials. Meta countered that Muse cannot see passwords or payment methods, and credentials are stored securely.

Payments are not included in the first version but are listed for future expansion, aiming to complete purchases without disclosing credit card information. More granular permissions can restrict specific actions, and notifications can be sent to assistants during flight delays or when orders are dispatched. Shawn Malhotra, CTO of Rocket, stated that the agent technology developed with Sierra allows Muse to move from finding housing to securing financing on its platform. Mani Fazeli, Vice President of Product at Shopify, noted that the protocol aims to convert purchase intent into results that also facilitate returns and exchanges. OpenAI and Anthropic have not joined yet, with Taylor expressing hope that competitors will adopt it, stating he would be very disappointed if they do not.

The buyers are personal assistant entities that place orders, return items, and book tickets on behalf of customers, while the sellers are merchants concerned about agents accessing accounts without disclosing their identities. This is a standard competition driven by identity gaps, not actual transaction volumes. Funds and access rights will flow to merchants willing to open their websites, interfaces, or proprietary assistants, as well as to identifiable agents. Beneficiaries include platforms like Shopify, Stripe, and Walmart that want to capture agent traffic, while those under pressure are closed storefronts that refuse unidentified agents and assistants that still rely on simulated clicks to enter sites.

Stripe and Shopify had previously joined another protocol led by Visa, and now they are entering the Personal Agent Protocol. The payment expansion not included in v0.1 indicates that the first version focuses on identity and authorization, while checkout channels will still be discussed separately.

Source: Public Information