Google Launches Universal Cart and Updates AP2 at I/O 2026
May 19, 2026 – 9:11 pm
TL;DR
Google announced Universal Cart at I/O 2026, an AI-powered shopping hub that consolidates products from Search, Gemini, YouTube, and Gmail into a single cart. It also updated its Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) to enable AI agents to make purchases autonomously, expanding its reach globally.
Google Unveils Universal Cart
Google has introduced Universal Cart, an AI-driven shopping platform unveiled at I/O 2026. This feature allows users to combine products from various sources—Search, Gemini, YouTube, and Gmail—into a single persistent cart. Available in the US starting today, it’s Google’s most significant step yet towards becoming the go-to middleman in online commerce.
Universal Cart, powered by Gemini, offers numerous features:
- Active price monitoring with drop notifications.
- Price history tracking.
- Back-in-stock alerts.
- AI compatibility checks for products (like ensuring a processor is compatible with a motherboard when building a PC).
Integrating with the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open standard, Universal Cart enables checkout through Google or a seamless transition to a merchant’s site while retaining loyalty benefits. Launch partners include Nike, Sephora, Target, Ulta Beauty, Walmart, Wayfair, and Shopify merchants like Fenty and Steve Madden.
Global Race in AI Shopping
This announcement comes on the heels of China’s tech giants deploying AI shopping agents at scale, with Alibaba’s Qwen assistant boasting 300 million monthly active users on Taobao. Amazon has also integrated Alexa directly into its search bar, merging Rufus chatbot and Alexa+ assistant for a unified shopping experience. Google is clearly aiming to keep pace in a market McKinsey estimates could reach $5 trillion by 2030.
AP2 Update: Autonomous Shopping with AI Agents
Alongside Universal Cart, Google updated AP2, its open framework allowing AI agents to make payments on behalf of users within set limits using digital contracts called "Mandates." The latest version (v0.2.0) introduced "Human Not Present" payments, enabling agents to purchase items like limited-release tickets autonomously.