Tech Giants Compete to Set Agentic Internet Standards

Major technology companies are competing to define the foundational protocols and technical standards for an agentic internet, an ecosystem where autonomous AI agents execute transactions and perform tasks for users. Google LLC is leading this push with the development of Agent2Agent (A2A) for inter-agent communication and the AP2 agent-native payments protocol, a project involving collaboration with more than 60 companies, including American Express, PayPal, and Etsy.

Other industry players are introducing complementary systems to secure their position in the future digital economy. Anthropic PBC has released the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to link AI agents with backend databases and systems, while Cloudflare, Inc. announced the NET Dollar, a US dollar-backed stablecoin created specifically for secure transactions within AI-driven environments. OpenAI Inc. is also developing an Agents SDK to help AI agents better handle user intent.

Financial analysis from Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P. suggests that the companies capable of pioneering these standards may establish long-term competitive moats. By creating ecosystem lock-ins through these foundational protocols, these firms could dominate the structure of the future digital economy.