Google's AI Commerce Protocol: Math or Marketing?

Google claims to have cracked the code for AI-driven commerce—but is this math or marketing? At CES 2026, the company unveiled a new protocol designed to enable AI agents to negotiate, transact, and manage workflows in commerce. However, the protocol remains in research/demo-stage, with no public tools or product availability confirmed.

The stated ambitions position the protocol as a foundational system for automated commerce, but current capabilities are limited to demonstrations.

No existing APIs or open-source tools allow developers or businesses to test the claims directly. This creates a gap between Google’s vision and the practical implementation required for real-world adoption.