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

AI Product Leader

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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

Weekly conversations with the AI’s top product leaders. Join Polly Allen as she discovers the paths to success in the world of AI.

THE LINKS

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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/⁠