Artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing how consumers shop, discover products, compare options, and make purchasing decisions. Increasingly, AI is also beginning to act on behalf of consumers. However, as AI reshapes commerce, it simultaneously reshapes risk, placing trust at the center of the conversation, according to Ali Bailoun, senior vice president and group general manager for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman at Visa.
Fraud Evolution and the Trust Gap
Payments today are more seamless than ever, with financial services embedded into everyday apps and commerce expanding across borders and platforms. Yet fraud is evolving quickly and at scale. Visa’s latest Biannual Threats Report identified nearly $1 billion in scam-related fraud attempts in just six months. The nature of these attacks is changing: fraud is no longer solely about stolen card details but increasingly involves deception, impersonation, manipulation, and social engineering.
Cybercriminals are exploring how AI can scale these attacks. Underground discussions around AI-driven fraud techniques have surged by 477 percent. Globally, 73 percent of consumers say they or someone they know have been affected by cyber-enabled fraud. This represents a structural shift where fraud no longer starts at the point of payment but much earlier, at the moment trust is formed.
Saudi Arabia’s Digital Economy and Consumer Trust
Saudi Arabia’s digital economy is advancing rapidly, with consumers adopting new technologies such as social commerce and AI-powered tools for searching, comparing, and deciding. Recent data shows that 90 percent of consumers in Saudi Arabia already use AI tools during their shopping journey, and 93 percent say these tools make the experience faster and easier.
However, adoption has limits. Only 33 percent of consumers trust AI agents to make payments on their behalf. This gap between usage and trust will determine the next phase of commerce. In AI-powered commerce, speed and convenience are insufficient; adoption depends on confidence.
Trust as the Foundation for Scaling Innovation
Every major shift in commerce follows the same pattern: technology moves first, but trust determines whether it scales. E-commerce grew because consumers trusted online payments; mobile payments expanded because users trusted secure digital environments. AI-powered commerce will be no different.
Consumers already see the potential. In Saudi Arabia, 84 percent believe AI will play a critical role in protecting them from fraud in the future. But belief alone is not enough. Trust must be consistently delivered in every interaction, transaction, and moment where risk is present. Trust is no longer a feature; it is the foundation.
Embedding Trust into the System
Bailoun emphasizes that trust cannot be added later—it must be built into the system from the start. At Visa, this means embedding security into every layer of the transaction process: using AI to detect fraud, monitoring risks in real time, and deploying technologies such as tokenization to protect sensitive data.
However, technology alone will not solve the challenge. Trust is built through collaboration across financial institutions, fintechs, merchants, and regulators to ensure innovation moves forward with the right safeguards. Visa’s role is not just to enable transactions but to ensure they are secure, reliable, and trusted at scale.
A Defining Moment for Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has a unique opportunity to lead in AI-powered commerce, driven by Vision 2030 and a clear national focus on digital transformation. The Kingdom is building an advanced, connected, and rapidly growing digital economy. Consumers are highly engaged, businesses are innovating, and the ecosystem is evolving quickly. This creates conditions not just to adopt AI-powered commerce but to shape how it is implemented responsibly.
Getting this right requires balance: innovation must move in step with security, consumer protection must keep pace with technological change, and trust must be embedded into every experience—not treated as an afterthought. If that balance is achieved, Saudi Arabia can help define how AI-driven commerce scales securely, confidently, and sustainably.
What Comes Next
The next phase of commerce will not be defined by how fast technology advances but by how confidently people use it. That confidence depends on trust. For businesses, it means designing systems where security is built in from the outset. For policymakers, it means enabling innovation while maintaining strong protections. For consumers, it means having clarity and control at every step.
AI will continue to transform commerce. That much is certain. What is not guaranteed is how widely it will be trusted. That will determine what scales—and what does not.
