Autonomous commerce powered by AI agents could fundamentally reshape the internet economy — potentially even leading to the decline of advertising, according to a16z Crypto.
Since the early days of the web, purchasing goods and services typically required users to visit retailer websites. The internet’s business model was built on “attention capture”: users consumed content, noticed ads, and clicked through.
However, large language models (LLMs) and digital assistants operate differently — they execute specific tasks based on predefined intent and are not distracted by marketing tactics.
“Ironically, advertising gave rise to the free internet, which generated a 10-trillion-token dataset. Those data were used to train language models — and now those same models are undermining the advertising model itself,” said Merit Systems co-founder Sam Ragsdale.
Closed ecosystems such as Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn have long invested heavily in protecting user environments. But AI agents equipped with computer vision can now convincingly mimic human behavior online, blurring the line between bots and real users.
Open protocols vs. closed ecosystems
Platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini have already introduced in-chat purchasing features for US users, allowing transactions without leaving the interface. However, these systems remain closed ecosystems with strict merchant onboarding.
Ragsdale argues that the future lies in agent-driven commerce built on open protocols such as Coinbase’s x402 and MPP by Tempo and Stripe.
“An assistant that can only purchase from pre-approved vendors is like an employee with a corporate card limited to three suppliers. An agent using open protocols is more like an entrepreneur with a bank account,” he explained.
The concept itself is not new — the HTTP 402 (Payment Required) status code was proposed as early as 1997. At the time, however, there was no infrastructure for low-cost micropayments. Today, that limitation has been resolved with the emergence of stablecoins.
“In 1997, the internet lacked a viable business model, and servers had no reason to interact with unknown parties. Advertising solved that problem and enabled the digital economy. In 2026, that model is breaking down. Open protocols and payment layers will replace it,” Ragsdale concluded.
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