An assistant answers.
“Here are some cooking classes in Austin you could look at.”
You do the rest: open sites, compare and check out.
AGENTS, EXPLAINED · 5-MINUTE READ
An AI agent is an assistant that does the legwork.
It doesn't stop at answering. It searches, compares and gets a purchase ready, then hands the decision back to you. LivingSocial, part of Groupon, is a local marketplace built for AI agents. Here's how agents work, what they can and can't do here today, and why it matters if you run a local business.
Example
You
My parents visit Austin next month. Find us a cooking class for two adults, under $120.
Searching LivingSocial· Austin · cooking class · under $120
Agent
Three fit:
- Pasta-making class with dinner, 2 hr, for 2$98
- Sushi-rolling class, 90 min, for 2$110
- Knife-skills class, 2 hr, for 2$85
The pasta class includes dinner and fits your budget. A purchase doesn't reserve a date or time, so it's worth checking class dates with the studio. Want me to open a cart for it?
You
Yes, the pasta class.
Agent
Cart ready: $98.00. Here's your link to review the total and pay on Groupon.
Review and pay on GrouponAssistant or agent?
Same app, different job. An assistant answers. An agent acts on what you asked, using the tools it's given.
An agent does the legwork.
“I found three that fit and checked the prices. Want me to open a cart for one?”
You say yes, and pay on Groupon's checkout.
What makes an agent
- A goal. What you asked for, in your own words: “a cooking class for two, under $120”.
- Tools. Search, read a page, compare, fill a cart. An agent can't do anything its tools don't allow.
- Limits. A good agent checks with you before anything that costs money. On LivingSocial today, you review the total and pay on Groupon's checkout.
How an agent finds you something to do
- You ask.In your own words: who, where, when and budget.
- It searches and compares.It reads live offers: what's included, the price, the place, the fine print. It says what it doesn't know.
- It prepares.It shortlists, and when you say yes it opens a cart. Prices can change, so the cart and Groupon's checkout re-check them.
- You pay, on Groupon's checkout.You review the total and pay on Groupon's checkout, with Groupon's support.
Then you redeem your purchase with the business, as Groupon customers do today.
What an agent can and can't do here, today
Can LIVE
- Search more than 50,000 live offers across the US by city, category, words and price.
- Read the details: what's included, price, location, fine print, business name and expiry.
- Say what it doesn't know. Missing fields are marked unknown, not filled in.
- Give you a link to buy, which opens a cart and then Groupon's checkout.
Can't, today
- Take payment here. The buy link opens a cart, and the purchase is completed on Groupon's checkout, which shows the total before payment.
- Reserve a date or time. A purchase doesn't reserve a date or time.
PLANNEDAgents that can pay for you, with your approval.
People ask AI for ideas. They pay where they trust.
72%
of US consumers have used an AI assistant.
Visa, Trust Index for Agentic Commerce, 9 Sep 2026 (The Harris Poll, US adults)45%
of US consumers used AI tools for local recommendations, up from 6% in the 2025 survey.
BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026, 11 Feb 2026 (1,002 US adults)23%
of US consumers trust generative AI to handle payment transactions on their behalf.
Visa, Trust Index for Agentic Commerce, 9 Sep 2026 (The Harris Poll, US adults, 26–28 May 2026)That's how LivingSocial works today. The agent helps people choose. They pay on Groupon's checkout, not inside the chat.
What it means if you run a local business
When someone asks an assistant what to do on Saturday, it doesn't hand back a page of results. It answers with a few options. Offers an agent can read clearly, check and hand over to buy are easier to recommend with confidence. Each assistant decides what it shows, and nobody can promise placement. Clear facts and a clean way to buy are what you can control.
Who's in charge, who pays, who helps?
The agent prepares, and the purchase is completed on Groupon's checkout, which shows you the total before you pay. The agent never needs your Groupon password or card details. Groupon's support and refund policy apply.
Words you'll hear
You don't need these words to use LivingSocial. They're here for when you hear them.
AI assistant
An app people talk or type to. It answers questions and helps with tasks.
AI agent
An assistant taking steps for someone: searching, comparing, filling a cart. On LivingSocial, the purchase is completed on Groupon's checkout.
Buy link
The link an agent gives you. It opens a cart, and you pay on Groupon's checkout.
Redeem
Using what you bought, at the business. A purchase doesn't reserve a date or time, so you arrange that with the business.
Open API
A public web address where agents look up offers directly, after a one-call sign-up with no human step.
llms.txt
A short file that tells AI agents what a site offers and where to start.
Markdown version
Every LivingSocial page also comes as plain text that agents read quickly.
- 72% and 23%: Visa, Trust Index for Agentic Commerce, 9 Sep 2026.
- 45%: BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026, 11 Feb 2026.
- Offer count as of 7 Oct 2026.