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Platform

A Platform is a user-facing application or interface where natural language intent is expressed. Platforms submit this intent to an AIP Operator and display the operator’s ranked recommendations back to the user. Within AIP, platforms function as the protocol’s publishers — they surface intent and deliver outcomes, while all auction, scoring, and billing processes are handled entirely by the Operator.

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Definition

A Platform is an application, interface, or agentic environment that:
  1. Receives user intent
    Platforms capture user queries, commands, or questions expressed in natural language.
  2. Emits a PlatformRequest to an AIP Operator
    The operator derives the downstream ContextRequest, then handles auctions, ranking, and selection internally.
  3. Renders recommendations
    Platforms display operator-returned recommendations using protocol-standard formats
    (Citation, Product, or Weave).
  4. Tracks and forwards signed events
    Platforms report exposure and click events using the operator SDK, ensuring
    serve-token integrity and attribution.
  5. Receives payouts for verified events
    Operators credit platforms for valid exposures, clicks, or conversions based on
    AIP settlement rules.

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Characteristics

Platforms MUST:
  • Run an operator-provided UI SDK
  • Maintain a session identifier for each user conversation
  • Display transparency labels
  • Ensure accurate event propagation
Platforms MAY:
  • Use optional backend SDKs for inline (Weave) embedding
  • Add platform-specific UI or UX layers around recommendations
  • Surface recommendations inside various modalities (text, voice, multimodal)

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Asynchronous Auction Interaction

The AIP bidding model uses a time-bounded asynchronous auction window rather than full broadcast fanout. When a platform sends a PlatformRequest, the AIP Operator derives a context_request, classifies the request into one or more category pools, and only brand agents and advertiser networks that have explicitly subscribed to those pools receive it. Distribution to bidders is handled through a cloud-agnostic publish/subscribe transport, starting with Google Pub/Sub in v1.0 and extendable to AWS SNS/SQS, Azure Event Grid, Kafka, or other message buses. After publishing the context, the AIP Server opens a short auction window (typically 30–70 ms) during which bidders may submit signed bids via POST /aip/bid-response. When the window closes, the server collects all bids received within the allowed timeframe, applies the AIP selection rules (CPA > CPC > CPX), and returns the auction_result to the platform. If no bids are received before the window expires, the server returns a valid no_bid response. This design enables scalable, category-aware bidding, minimizes latency, prevents unnecessary bidder fanout, and ensures that only relevant brand agents compete for each user intent. Platform implication: always handle no_bid responses gracefully (render a fallback or continue the user workflow) while still recording the exposure attempt in your telemetry.

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Examples of Platforms

A Platform can be:
  • AI assistants
  • Chat-based search engines
  • Browsers with conversational UI
  • Voice assistants
  • Productivity apps with embedded AI
  • Messaging apps with AI features
  • Browser extensions or agent runtimes
  • Autonomous multi-agent surfaces
  • Any interface capable of receiving natural language input and showing results
If a system can “hear” a user request and show a returned recommendation, it can be a Platform in AIP.

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Role Within the Protocol

Platforms are the entry point for user intent.
Operators manage the economic layer.
Brand Agents participate in auctions. Intent → Platform → Operator → Recommendations → Events → Payouts The Platform is the surface where intent is captured and value is created.