Food bank charity Trussell has received the UK’s first ever donation to be handled entirely through an AI agent.

It has been processed by banking firm GoCardless within the Financial Conduct Authority’s AI Live Testing programme to support AI deployment.

This has been carried out as the UK government identifies developing agentic AI payments and ensuring they can be used safely “as a high priority”, said GoCardless.

AI agents act independently and can handle tasks without needing constant human prompts.

The transaction made to Trussell took place entirely within an AI chat, where donors can find out more about Trussell’s work then choose how much to give.

Once selected the AI agent prompts the donor to enter their bank details to set up a Direct Debit mandate on their behalf.

It is estimated by financial firm Morgan Stanley that AI agents could handle up to £289bn of US e-commerce spending within the next four years.

"If agentic payments make it simpler for someone to commit to giving, that's a genuine win for everyone as we work to end hunger together,” said Trussell’s head of individual giving Christianne McKenzie.

“What struck us most was how natural the whole process felt; the giving process is a conversation, not just a form to fill out. That's exactly the kind of experience we want for our donors.”

GoCardless co-founder and chief executive Hiroki Takeuchi said that the firm’s research published in June this year found that almost two thirds of the UK public are open to AI managing recurring payments in future as long as they retain control over limits and have final approval.

He added: “We’re extremely proud to have processed the UK’s first live agentic bank payment, built under FCA supervision and for a very good cause.”

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