tech
Google launches Universal Cart and updates AP2 at I/O 2026
Google announced Universal Cart at I/O 2026, an AI-powered shopping hub that lets users add products from Search, Gemini, YouTube, and Gmail into a single persistent cart with deal tracking and compatibility checks. It also updated its Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) to let AI agents make purchases autonomously, and is expanding its Universal Commerce Protocol to new countries and verticals.
TL;DR
- Universal Cart, announced at I/O 2026, is an AI-powered shopping hub that consolidates products from Google Search, Gemini, YouTube, and Gmail into one persistent cart.
- The feature offers active deal monitoring, price history, back-in-stock alerts, and AI-driven compatibility checks for products added from various retailers.
- Universal Cart leverages Google Wallet infrastructure and integrates with the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) for streamlined checkout or merchant site handoff.
- Google updated its Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) to enable AI agents to make payments autonomously, including 'Human Not Present' purchases, using digital contracts called Mandates.
- The company is expanding UCP-powered checkout to Canada and Australia, with the UK planned, and intends to bring it to additional verticals and YouTube.
- Google is competing in the agentic commerce market, estimated to reach $5 trillion by 2030, with similar moves from Chinese tech giants and Amazon.
- Retailers may view Universal Cart as a distribution channel or a threat, depending on traffic volume and associated costs.