The AI Economy’s Make-or-Break Moment
The Trump administration’s Executive Order 14179 removed regulatory guardrails for artificial intelligence, placing responsibility on the private sector. The private sector must now ensure that the development of AI agents doesn’t lead to market concentration and unfair competition.
AI agents are set to revolutionize how consumers travel, shop, and receive medical care. A recent survey by Cloudera found that 96% of IT leaders plan to increase their use of AI agents, with nearly half seeing them as a key competitive advantage. Walmart’s announcement to interface with AI shopping agents signals a structural shift in online decision-making.
However, without standards for open participation and fair competition, the agent-driven marketplace could become a closed system dominated by a few large companies. Smaller businesses could be locked out, and consumers could be at the mercy of algorithms that aren’t in their best interests.
Imagine asking your AI assistant to plan a trip to Napa Valley. It scans options, compares prices, and negotiates availability. But what if it only considers providers with exclusive deals or undisclosed business relationships with its parent company? Smaller, independent options might never get a chance to compete.
To prevent this, we need open standards that ensure interoperability between agents and equitable access to marketplaces. One solution is a voluntary open AI agent registry, where businesses can register their AI agents using standardized protocols. Consumer-facing AI assistants can then query this registry to identify relevant service providers, ensuring that small players are part of the ecosystem.
Industry leaders, academics, and technologists must collaborate to establish these standards. The benefits are significant: consumer trust, a level playing field for businesses, and a competitive, innovation-rich environment.
The AI economy is moving fast. Let’s ensure it moves in the right direction.
Benjamin Wiener, global head of Cognizant Moment, emphasizes the need for intention, collaboration, and urgency in building an open, competitive, and fair AI ecosystem from the start.
