44: How AI Agents Could Change the Way You Shop Forever (with Grace Wu)

AI Product Leader

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1M ago 20:21

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THE GUEST

Grace Wu is a visionary fintech product leader with over two decades of experience transforming the global payments and risk ecosystem. She has shaped platform strategies at Apple, Uber, and Alipay, and launched revenue-generating products across Asia, Latin America, and the U.S., bringing deep expertise in card issuing, acquiring, alternative payments, and identity. Holding a patent in alternative payments, Grace has led teams responsible for more than $500 million in revenue and transaction volume while significantly reducing fraud and loss. Now a trusted advisor to early-stage startups, she is focused on AI and next-generation risk intelligence, leveraging her real-world experience with cutting-edge technology to shape the future of global commerce.

THE SUMMARY

AI in Payments Is About Trust, Not Just Tech — Grace Wu argues that without consumer trust, even the most advanced AI-driven payment systems will fail. Platforms must offer protection — like credit card chargebacks — to drive adoption.

Agentic AI: Still More Rules Than Autonomy — Despite the hype, most “AI agents” in commerce are still rule-based, not fully autonomous. True agentic AI will require mastery of both knowing and doing, plus robust human validation.

Security Risks Multiply with AI Agents — Giving AI spending power creates new vulnerabilities — think of it as an eager intern who can be misled. Guardrails, spending limits, and behaviour-based trust are essential before handing over more control.

Data Quality Is the Real AI Power Source — The future of AI is a trifecta: data, model, and context. Without high-quality, relevant data, even the best models fail — making data readiness a critical first step in AI adoption.

Career Tip: Build Before You Talk — Grace’s advice for AI newcomers: ground yourself with fundamentals, find trusted sources, and build something hands-on to truly understand the possibilities and limits of AI.

THE SHOW

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THE LINKS

Have a question you want us to answer? Send it through to [email protected]

Grace Wu

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gracemwu

Website: https://paymentsoperator.substack.com/

My links

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/pollymallen/⁠

AI Career Boost: ⁠https://www.aicareerboost.com/⁠

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