ARTICLE
30 April 2026

From Assistant To Agent: Navigating The Legal And Regulatory Shifts In AI-driven Commerce

AO
A&O Shearman

Contributor

A&O Shearman was formed in 2024 via the merger of two historic firms, Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling. With nearly 4,000 lawyers globally, we are equally fluent in English law, U.S. law and the laws of the world’s most dynamic markets. This combination creates a new kind of law firm, one built to achieve unparalleled outcomes for our clients on their most complex, multijurisdictional matters – everywhere in the world. A firm that advises at the forefront of the forces changing the current of global business and that is unrivalled in its global strength. Our clients benefit from the collective experience of teams who work with many of the world’s most influential companies and institutions, and have a history of precedent-setting innovations. Together our lawyers advise more than a third of NYSE-listed businesses, a fifth of the NASDAQ and a notable proportion of the London Stock Exchange, the Euronext, Euronext Paris and the Tokyo and Hong Kong Stock Exchanges.
AI Agents are transforming commerce by autonomously selecting goods, comparing prices, and initiating payments on behalf of consumers. This briefing explores the complex regulatory challenges and opportunities that agentic commerce presents for businesses, from contract formation and payment regulation to consumer protection and strategic partnerships.
United Kingdom Consumer Protection
A&O Shearman are most popular:
  • within Insolvency/Bankruptcy/Re-Structuring, Criminal Law and Law Department Performance topic(s)

AI Agents are no longer a future invention. Systems that autonomously select goods, compare prices, initiate payments and switch providers on behalf of consumers are already being deployed; regulators are developing their policy positions at speed.

For many businesses (whether merchants or their payment providers), agentic commerce brings opportunity but also raises complex issues across multiple regulatory frameworks.

We held a practical briefing in which we discussed the latest market developments, as well as some key prevailing issues, including: 

  • contract formation and liability 
  • payments regulation, including requirements with respect to consent, software composition analysis (SCA), fraud and dispute resolution 
  • consumer protection and 
  • strategic considerations for firms exploring agentic products/partnerships.

Watch the webinar

View the slides

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

[View Source]

Mondaq uses cookies on this website. By using our website you agree to our use of cookies as set out in our Privacy Policy.

Learn More