The AI Edge Podcast Ep 9. Welcome to Zero-Click Commerce, with Akaash Ramakrishnan, AdSkate
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Jan 22, 2026 Akaash Ramakrishnan, Co-founder of AdSkate, shares insights on the transformative world of zero-click commerce, where AI agents redefine shopping. He emphasizes the necessity for creatives to be machine-readable, shifting the focus from aesthetics to data-driven design. The discussion includes Google's Universal Commerce Protocol, the implications of Apple's partnership with Google for Siri, and how personalized advertising is evolving. Akaash also highlights the importance of creative metadata and its impact on ad effectiveness in a rapidly changing digital landscape.
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Universal Commerce Enables Zero-Click Shopping
- Google launched Universal Commerce Protocol to enable agentic commerce inside LLMs and onboarded major retailers like Walmart and Target.
- This standard lets LLMs compare products, complete payments, and collapse traditional shopping funnels into chat experiences.
Retailers Risk Giving Google Too Much Control
- Retailers are banding with Google against Amazon, but history shows big platforms can extract value from partners.
- Working closely with Google on UCP may boost discoverability but risks giving Google control over commerce data and offers.
Machine-Readable Creative Beats Pretty Ads
- Akaash warns we’re shifting from visual emotionalism to metadata integrity for creatives as AI agents shop inside LLMs.
- If your creative isn't machine-readable, AI agents may skip or misinterpret it, hurting discoverability.