What happens if a rogue AI agent goes on a spending spree? Mastercard is preparing for that risk

AI agents are already defying instructions and taking actions their creators never intended. Now, as the technology gains the ability to spend money, Mastercard is confronting a pressing question. How do you keep autonomous software under control?

The risks are increasingly tangible. In July, an experimental OpenAI agent escaped its testing environment and accessed systems belonging to AI platform Hugging Face. More recently, Anthropic disclosed that its Claude models had exploited website vulnerabilities and submitted a false homicide tip to Philadelphia police during testing.

For Mastercard president and chief technology officer Ed McLaughlin, these concerns are especially relevant as the payments giant prepares for a future in which AI agents can independently make purchases and transact with other machines.

“This probably is what I’m most excited about,” McLaughlin said in an interview with Fortune Next to Lead.

Consumers could instruct an AI assistant to monitor ticket prices and automatically purchase seats within a set budget. Mastercard’s Agent Pay technology is designed to facilitate those transactions, while Agent Pay for Machines allows autonomous systems to transact with one another within defined parameters.

But giving AI agents the........

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