AWS Lets AI Agents Make Real Purchases Autonomously

Amazon Web Services has launched payment features for AI agents in preview through its Amazon Bedrock AgentCore service. Using the x402 protocol built on HTTP status codes, agents can purchase datasets, software subscriptions, and eventually flight tickets, with transactions financed via digital wallets from partners Coinbase and Stripe's Privy subsidiary. Agents can pay using stablecoin or fiat currency, while developers can set per-session spending limits and monitor financial activity through built-in observability tools. AWS also announced a major cloud deal with U.S. Bancorp, described as one of the largest banking modernization initiatives, covering payment processing, wealth management, and AI-driven customer support.