Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Sunday posted that AI agents will be a big part of how we shop in the not-so-distant future as he revealed the next big thing in artificial intelligence.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Sunday announced the launch of its Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) saying that AI agents will be a big part of how we shop in the not-so-distant future.
Revealing what could turn out to be the next big thing in the artificial intelligence, Sundar Pichai wrote, “AI agents will be a big part of how we shop in the not-so-distant future.”
“To help lay the groundwork, we partnered with Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target, and Walmart to create the Universal Commerce Protocol, a new open standard for agents and systems to talk to each other across every step of the shopping journey,” he said.
AI agents will be a big part of how we shop in the not-so-distant future.
To help lay the groundwork, we partnered with Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target and Walmart to create the Universal Commerce Protocol, a new open standard for agents and systems to talk to each other across… pic.twitter.com/8gDxDWjF9q
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) January 11, 2026
Adding further, the technology enthusiast also informed that soon UCP will power native checkout so people can buy directly on AI mode and through the Gemini App.
What is Universal Commerce Protocol?
Google wants the Universal Commerce Protocol to become an industry standard that retailers use for their AI agents and its related systems for discovery, selling and post-sales services.
According to Google, UCP is a new open standard for agentic commerce that works across the entire shopping journey, from discovery and buying to post-purchase support.
The platform establishes a common language for agents and systems to operate together across consumer surfaces, businesses and payment providers.
So instead of requiring unique connections for every individual agent, UCP enables all agents to interact easily.
It’s built to work across verticals and is compatible with existing industry protocols like Agent2Agent (A2A), Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) and Model Context Protocol (MCP).
The platform has been co-developed with industry leaders including Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target and Walmart, and endorsed by more than 20 others across the ecosystem like Adyen, American Express, Best Buy, Flipkart, Macy’s Inc., Mastercard, Stripe, The Home Depot, Visa and Zalando.
