Agent spending limits are coming as Barclays plans 5,000 job cuts

AI shows up in headcount plans

Barclays has revealed plans to cut 5,000 jobs, about 5% of its workforce, as part of an AI-linked efficiency push, according to CNBC. About 60% of the cuts are expected in support functions, including developers, and the bank's earnings presentation noted an outcome was "organisational simplification and technology change efficiency driven by AI."

Walmart plans spending caps for agents

On Wednesday, Walmart launched its Agent Gateway, which lets an AI agent search its online inventory and make purchases on behalf of the agent's user. Agent Profiles, rolling out next month, will let customers authorize each agent, and customers will be in control of how purchases get approved, by requiring approval for each transaction or by authorizing transactions within a spending limit they set. Walmart also says agents can't access the customers' payment information.

Agents on the attacking side

A report on Wednesday from The Information said a hacking group known as CyberCartel reportedly used a web of AI agents powered by models such as Anthropic's Claude and SpaceX's Grok to attack more than 400 targets in Latin America, including banks and payments companies. The report also included a statement from Anthropic saying it began an investigation and quickly blocked the group's use of Claude.

A question for our own desks

For those of us who plan teams and approve agent projects in a bank or lender, the useful questions sit side by side: which support work is being redesigned, who sets the spending limit for each agent, and who reviews what an agent is allowed to touch?