ENA MSME 2025-12-09 16:21:14 <p><span style="font-size:14px"><strong>New Delhi, Dec 9 (KNN)</strong> Amid growing use of AI-powered agentic shopping, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday highlighted measures to prevent the digital exclusion of small businesses, local traders, and MSMEs.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">Replying to a question in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada noted that agentic shopping is increasingly shaping consumer behavior and digital commerce.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">Agentic commerce is a new form of online shopping in which an AI agent completes tasks such as searching for items, comparing them and making a purchase with minimal or no manual inputs from users.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">While this innovation enhances convenience for consumers, it poses challenges for retailers, particularly those not integrated with major e-commerce platforms, risking reduced visibility and market access.</span></p> <p><strong><span style="font-size:14px">Support Through India AI Mission</span></strong></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">To address these challenges, the Minister said, India AI Mission provides startups, MSMEs, and innovators with access to AI tools, computing resources, and data platforms.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">The mission focuses on capacity building, development of indigenous AI models, and responsible AI deployment in commerce, enabling smaller enterprises to compete in a technology-driven environment.</span></p> <p><strong><span style="font-size:14px">Promoting Inclusive Market Access via ONDC</span></strong></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) initiative aims to create an open, platform-neutral ecosystem, ensuring all sellers&mdash;including small and local businesses&mdash;can reach consumers across multiple digital marketplaces.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">ONDC enhances transparency and fairness by making all sellers equally visible, clarifying listing and ranking mechanisms, and adopting open standards to prevent biased practices.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px"><em><strong>(KNN Bureau)</strong></em></span><br /> </p> 44362 https://knnindia.co.in/news/newsdetails/msme/commerce-ministry-highlights-measures-to-protect-msmes-in-ai-powered-agentic-shopping-era 2025-12-09 16:21:14 knnindia.co.in