Meta and Sierra are developing an open standard called Personal Agent Protocol, designed to define how personal AI agents interact with businesses, according to a joint announcement. Industry partners including Genesys, Instinct, Rocket, Shopify, Stripe, and Walmart are participating in the effort.

The protocol is intended to handle authentication, give consumers control over agent permissions, and provide companies with visibility into what personal agents do across websites, APIs, and company-operated agents. It is described as open for anyone to implement.

Currently, most personal AI agents interact with businesses by navigating websites and filling out forms, a process that can be slow or incomplete. The protocol aims to establish a direct, secure connection between personal agents and businesses, built on OAuth, an existing authorization standard.

Under the proposed system, consumers would determine the level of access granted to their personal agents, including read-only or write permissions, while companies would set parameters for what those agents can do. A personal agent could begin a session as a guest or sign in using existing credentials, with the session carrying across channels.

The companies said they plan to publish a v0.1 specification later this month, host design workshops, and release a reference implementation for developers. Future additions under consideration include granular permissions, push notifications, and payment extensions that would allow purchases without sharing credit card details.

Shopify VP of Product Mani Fazeli said the protocol aims to "turn a buyer's intent into an outcome," while Stripe's Head of Payments Kevin Miller said it would give businesses "a standard way to recognize their customers' agents."

Genesys Chairman and CEO Tony Bates described the protocol as "an important step toward creating the shared foundation this new era of customer experience will require."