🛒 Google announces a new protocol to facilitate commerce using AI agents ↗
Google rolled out an “open standard” called the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) - basically a shared language for shopping agents, so they can handle discovery, support, and the fiddly parts after checkout without bespoke integrations everywhere.
The pitch is interoperability: merchants and agents can “pick and choose” extensions, and UCP can sit alongside other agent-ish protocols instead of trying to replace them all (which rarely works).
Google also said it’ll start using UCP for eligible product listings across its AI surfaces so people can checkout directly with Google Pay, with PayPal support coming too - plus brands can drop targeted discounts right inside the AI-mode shopping flow.
🛍️ Google teams up with Walmart and other retailers to enable shopping within Gemini AI chatbot ↗
On the more consumer-facing side, Google is pushing Gemini toward “virtual merchant” territory by teaming up with big retailers like Walmart, Shopify, and Wayfair - less “help me brainstorm,” more “help me buy the thing.”
The vibe is conversational shopping: you describe what you want, refine it back-and-forth, and (eventually) skip the old keyword-search maze. It sounds smooth… until it isn’t, but that’s the bet.
There’s also a logistics-adjacent thread here: if the chatbot becomes the storefront, retailers suddenly care a lot about who “owns” the flow - and how many steps you can shave off before people bail.
🛡️ Israeli cyber startup Torq raises $140 million at $1.2 billion valuation ↗
Torq pulled in $140M at a $1.2B valuation, leaning hard into the “AI-driven SOC” story - security teams want automation that does the work, not just nags them with more alerts.
The broader signal is pretty simple: buyers are tired, attackers aren’t, and anything that promises faster triage and response gets attention (and funding) fast.
And yeah, the money usually follows the pain - cyber is basically a smoke alarm that keeps finding new rooms to scream in.
🏬 Honeywell Unveils AI-Enabled Technology to Personalize In-store Shopping with Google Cloud ↗
Honeywell launched a Smart Shopping Platform built with Google Cloud and 66degrees, using Gemini and Vertex AI to bring “online-like” personalization into physical stores - the aisle, but make it algorithmic.
It’s meant to help shoppers locate products, compare options, and get substitutions when items are out of stock. Retailers get the bonus pitch: an “out of the box” AI setup without staffing an army of specialists.
Honeywell’s also aiming this at store staff - turning handheld devices into on-the-floor “expert mode” helpers with real-time product info and guidance, which is either super handy or mildly dystopian… or both.
🥦 Kroger Scales Generative AI Strategy with Google Cloud to Drive Digital Growth and Personalization ↗
Kroger says it’s expanding its relationship with Google Cloud to roll out Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience nationwide - positioning it as a combined Meal assistant + Shopping assistant for planning, list-building, offers, and smoother support.
They’re also using Customer Experience Agent Studio to analyze customer calls (intent, friction points, recurring issues) so stores can spot patterns early instead of playing whack-a-mole with complaints.
The most interesting bit is the “grounded” promise - recommendations tied to real assortment, pricing, and availability. That’s the difference between helpful and a feed that keeps pitching things you can’t buy.
🌍 Trump Administration Wants to Achieve ‘Pax Silica’ Through AI. Here’s What That Means ↗
Gizmodo digs into “Pax Silica,” a framing that treats AI dominance like a supply-chain-and-alliances project - not just a model-training contest.
The idea leans on securing semiconductors, infrastructure, logistics, energy, and critical minerals. It’s geopolitical, but also surprisingly practical… like “who controls the boring stuff controls the future,” or so it seems.
The name itself is a bit of a goofy metaphor - “Pax Romana, but with silicon” - yet the underlying point lands: if compute is power, the supply chain is the throne.
FAQ
Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), explained
Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) is Google’s proposed “open standard” that functions as a shared language between shopping AI agents and merchants. The aim is to reduce the need for one-off, bespoke integrations between every retailer and every agent. It’s framed to cover core commerce tasks such as product discovery, customer support, and post-checkout steps. Interoperability is the central pitch.
How merchants and AI agents would use the Universal Commerce Protocol
The concept is that merchants and agents can adopt UCP modularly by picking and choosing the extensions that fit their needs. In many ecosystems, that translates to a baseline set of capabilities, with optional add-ons for richer experiences. UCP is positioned as something that can sit alongside other agent-style protocols rather than replacing them. That matters for retailers with existing integrations they have no appetite to tear out.
What changes for shoppers if Google uses UCP across its AI shopping experiences
Google said it plans to use UCP for eligible product listings across its AI surfaces so people can check out directly using Google Pay. PayPal support is also planned to be added. The shopper-facing promise is fewer steps between “this looks right” and purchase, without bouncing through a maze of links. The experience is intended to stay conversational while still completing transactions.
Targeted discounts inside an AI shopping flow, and why brands would bother
Yes - Google described brands being able to drop targeted discounts directly inside the AI-mode shopping experience. The practical point is to influence decisions at the exact moment a shopper is narrowing options, not after they leave to hunt for coupons. In many retail funnels, reducing friction and adding a timely incentive can prevent drop-off. It also gives brands a new lever inside the assistant-driven flow.
How Gemini shopping differs from regular search, and why retailers like Walmart are involved
The pitch is “conversational shopping,” where you describe what you want, refine it back-and-forth, and move toward buying without leaning on keyword searches. Google is teaming up with large retailers and platforms like Walmart, Shopify, and Wayfair to make that commerce path real inside Gemini. If the chatbot becomes a storefront, retailers care deeply about who controls the customer journey. Fewer steps can translate into fewer abandoned carts.
Why AI-driven security tools like Torq keep raising big money as commerce automation expands
Torq’s funding signals that security teams are seeking automation that handles triage and response work, not merely more alerts. As more shopping and support flows become agent-assisted, the incentive to secure those systems rises too. In many environments, faster response matters because attackers do not wait for humans to catch up. The broader signal is that “AI in the SOC” remains a compelling story for buyers and investors.