The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published a new report on the ways agentic artificial intelligence (AI) could soon be used as digital personal assistants or shopping agents.
The development of AI means that, perhaps within the next five years, it could be used to make purchases, look out for sales, source financing agreements and negotiate prices with sellers.
As users train their personal AI-powered agent, it could begin to make decisions and take independent actions, anticipating needs and even making proactive purchases. These ‘AI-gents’ would check personal bank accounts, assess how a purchase fits with other spending plans, and schedule purchases for sales events.
The report indicates that some consider that agentic AI could be the cash cow that provides the pay-off for the investment that’s been made in generative AI in recent years. Some are predicting that AI and agentic AI could have a bigger impact on the world economy and finance than the internet. Others express a more cautious view and feel that agentic AI’s potential and capabilities are being exaggerated.
The ICO, naturally, is concerned about the challenges agentic AI would raise in relation to privacy and data protection. Its report also highlights the potential for using agentic AI to support data protection, privacy and information rights.
The report does not create new guidance or formal regulation but shows the ICO’s early thinking and understanding of these technological developments.
If it is able to deliver as promised and gains the trust of users, Agentic AI could make significant changes to the business environment. To read the report in full, it is available on the ICO’s website here.
See: https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/media-centre/news-and-blogs/2026/01/ai-ll-get-that/
