The short version

Mike Shields predicted on January 6, 2026: “Agentic commerce won’t happen” Verdict: Partially right. While fully autonomous AI buying at scale is still nascent, the emergence of buyer-side AI and AEO (AI Engine Optimization) by 2025-2026 indicates that 'agentic commerce' is beginning to happen in some form, partially contradicting Shields’ strong negative prediction.

Prediction by

Mike Shields

On January 6, 2026

“Agentic commerce won’t happen”

Follow-up

While fully autonomous AI buying at scale is still nascent, the emergence of buyer-side AI and AEO (AI Engine Optimization) by 2025-2026 indicates that 'agentic commerce' is beginning to happen in some form, partially contradicting Shields’ strong negative prediction.

From the High Caliber AI network — see the AI for PR module in the course.