Key Highlights
- Stripe and Tempo launched the Machine Payments Protocol (MPP) to help AI programs pay automatically without human help.
- MPP works with stablecoins, cards, and buy-now-pay-later options, using Stripe’s system for fraud protection and accounting.
- Companies already use MPP for tasks like automated browsing, printing and mailing, food delivery, and climate donations.
Payment platform Stripe, together with Tempo, has launched a new system that allows software programs and AI tools to pay for services automatically.
In an X post on Wednesday, the company unveiled the feature, called the Machine Payments Protocol (MPP), which allows AI agents to make payments without humans approving every step.
The system is designed to work worldwide and supports both stablecoins and regular payment methods, such as cards or buy now, pay later options. Stripe said users can set it up easily with a few lines of code using their PaymentIntents API.
How MPP works for AI agents
Stripe explained that the protocol works simply. When an agent asks a service or software for a resource, the service responds with a payment request, and the agent approves it. After that, the resource is delivered automatically.
Payments appear then in the Stripe system just like any normal transaction, and businesses get the same protections and tools they normally have, such as fraud prevention, accounting features, and tax calculations.
Meanwhile, the platform shared that several businesses are already using MPP in creative ways. For instance, Browserbase, a company providing browser infrastructure, lets agents pay for headless browsers, a web browser without a graphical user interface, per session.
Another firm, Postalform, has enabled agents to pay for printing and sending mail automatically. Prospect Butcher Co., a sandwich shop in New York City, allows agents to order food for pickup or delivery, while Stripe Climate, a feature of the Stripe payment platform, can also now receive automatic contributions from agents through MPP.
Tempo launches mainnet
At the same time, Tempo, the blockchain behind MPP, also launched its mainnet. The network, developed by Stripe and crypto investment firm Paradigm, is built to handle lots of transactions quickly and cheaply.
The platform aims to make sending stablecoins as simple as using a card or bank transfer, but faster and always available. Before the mainnet, companies like Mastercard, UBS, Klarna, and Visa tested it on a public testnet that started in December.
Parag Agrawal, founder of Parallel, said that his firm integrated the machine payment with Stripe “in just a few line of code and now agents can autonomously pay per API call for web access.” He said that this allows the firm to “reach any agent developer in the world on the same Strip stack we already run on.”
In short, Stripe is building tools for the AI agent space, which is a new market where AI programs and software are the main customers. Stripe explained that this tool makes it easier to do automated payments, as well as small transactions.
The launch also highlights ways in which artificial intelligence and blockchain can work together to create an effective way for software to handle payments without human supervision.
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