# Stripe Co-Founder Says AI Agents Could Make Product Quality Matter More By Simon Yoon Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/technology/29507 Published: 2026-10-10T11:34:29.000Z Updated: 2026-10-10T11:34:29.000Z Section: Technology > Patrick Collison said personal AI agents could compare prices, discounts, reviews and after-sales service, reducing the advantage of advertising and distribution. Stripe co-founder and CEO Patrick Collison said personal AI agents could shift competition away from advertising and distribution by helping consumers research products, compare prices and complete purchases. The change could weaken the advantage of companies with large advertising budgets, strong brands and prominent online placement. Businesses with better products could become easier for consumers to discover if agents evaluate offerings across multiple sources instead of directing users to the most visible brand. Collison said companies have long held an information advantage because they can combine employees, expertise, data and resources to optimize commercial decisions. Consumers generally have less time and information to compare options before buying. Personal AI agents could narrow that gap by searching for alternatives, comparing terms and finding discounts. They could also monitor subscriptions and help users cancel services they no longer need, challenging business models that benefit when customers forget to end recurring payments. The shift could also weaken some forms of price discrimination. If agents automatically search for the best available coupon or promotion, companies may have less ability to charge different prices based on whether customers are willing or able to look for discounts. Collison said product quality could be the most important area of change. An agent could compare specifications, customer reviews, after-sales service records, prices and other information instead of steering consumers toward brands with the greatest advertising exposure. He described a scenario in which each consumer effectively has an assistant spending 10 hours researching a purchase. Lower research costs could create what Collison described as a structural subsidy for companies that invest in better products and service. That shift could make reliable product information more valuable. Businesses may need to provide clear specifications and comparable performance data so AI agents can assess their offerings alongside competitors. AI agents could also change how demand moves through search engines, digital advertising and e-commerce platforms. Consumers may be less likely to choose the first search result or a highly ranked product if an agent searches across several sources and completes the transaction directly. [Companies developing standards for personal AI agents]() are working on ways for agents to interact with businesses and manage access to customer information. The effect will depend partly on how agents are funded and whose interests they represent. An agent supported by advertising, referral commissions or paid rankings could favor merchants that pay more instead of products that best match a user’s needs. Collison said agents could either concentrate demand around a small group of highly rated products or help niche brands reach consumers whose preferences better match their offerings. The result will depend on whether agents consistently prioritize user needs and provide trustworthy comparisons. ## Links in this article - [Companies developing standards for personal AI agents](https://www.tokenpost.com/news/technology/27111)