Speaking of growing new tentacles:

"The Singularity is forcing the creation of a transaction layer for the post-human economy. Google has launched the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open standard allowing AI agents to interact, negotiate, and transact across the entire shopping journey, effectively building TCP/IP for the agentic economy. This is accompanied by "Direct Offers" in AI Mode, allowing brands to inject discounts directly into conversations, and a Business Agent that lets brands chat autonomously with shoppers."

X (Twitter): Dr. Alex Wissner-Gross on X: "https://t.co/ccMMo9dTZy" / X

Universal Commerce Protocol
ucp.dev: Universal Commerce Protocol

Google: New tech and tools for retailers to succeed in an agentic shopping era
blog.google - Agentic commerce AI tools protocol retailers platforms

Get started with Business Agent
Business Agent is a conversational experience on Google Search that allows shoppers to chat with your brand. It acts like a virtual associate that can answer product questions in your brand’s voice and connects with customers at critical shopping moments to help drive sales
Google: Get started with Business Agent