Declared intent and context
A natural-language request may describe a goal, but enforceable controls should identify checkable constraints: category, price, merchant, time window, and autonomy level. The context at execution time may differ from the context in which delegation was granted.
Evidence and boundaries
Consent and mandate evidence must be linked to the specific proposed transaction. Approximate textual similarity is not a substitute for deterministic enforcement of limits. When evidence is insufficient, the responsible recommendation may be review or renewed consent.
Example of intent drift
A customer delegates an airline ticket purchase under a spending limit. The agent finds an option above the limit or in a prohibited fare class. Even with valid identity, the operation may warrant challenge or denial, with a record of the condition that was violated.
Clear responsibility boundaries
Intent verification informs the trust recommendation. Institutional policy and final authorization remain with the financial participant responsible for execution. This supports multiple payment rails without turning the trust layer into a payment processor.
Does verifying an AI agent prove the customer's intent?
No. Identity validates the actor; intent requires comparing authenticated delegation with the proposed action.