Skyfire has launched Agent Checkout, a new protocol that gives artificial intelligence (AI) agents the power to navigate the digital economy on their own — including signing up for accounts, logging in and paying, without human help. Unlike other AI agents that perform transactions on behalf of humans, these AI agents act as if they were the human users themselves. With Skyfire’s Agent Checkout, the user instructs the agent, such as on budgets and approved shopping websites, and the agent does the rest autonomously. This includes creating an account, verifying an email, adding credit card information and making a purchase. Skyfire also gives the AI agent its own identity and credentials, so when it transacts, the system treats it just like it would any human user. Built on top of a new open standard called KYAPay — or Know Your Agent Pay — the platform can even handle microtransactions below $5 in value. “The KYA protocol really is about opening up our product so that anybody can adopt it,” said Amir Sarhangi, CEO and co-founder of Skyfire. “It allows for coordination across many different sectors.” Agent Checkout also introduces controls to manage the risk of giving agents spending authority. He does see a near-term opportunity for Agent Checkout in handling predictable, repetitive money flows like B2B supplier payments and subscription-based services.