The Term Sheet · 11 terms

Defining Our Terms.

How we use these words, and why. Each term has a full issue in The Starting Line with the case against it and the evidence for it.

01Data SymmetryThe point where a car buyer, alone or through an AI agent, can see every line of the deal the way the dealer sees it: the vehicle, the rate, the products, the fees, and the trade.
02Transaction ValidationIndependent proof, in real time, that what the seller says about a deal is true and fair, line by line, before the buyer signs: the price, the fees, the rate, the products, and the trade.
03Agent Relationship ManagementThe system a business uses to manage every relationship and interaction with the AI agents that act for its customers and prospects: who each agent is and whose criteria it carries, what it is allowed to do, what was said and agreed, how far it can be trusted, and when a human steps in.
04The Friction MiddleThe stretch of a car deal between choosing the car and getting the keys: price, trade, credit, products, paperwork, and waiting.
05Ghost DemandShopping done on a store’s inventory by AI agents acting for real buyers that never shows up as a lead, a call, or a visit.
06The Wallet ThresholdThe point where a person trusts an AI agent enough to let it spend their money, and the dollar amount above which they still insist on deciding themselves.
07The Human-Optional DealA car transaction that can run from discovery to delivery without a person, where a human is available at every step and required at none.
08The Ranking TaxThe toll a platform charges a business for its position in search, listing, or AI agent results.
09Deterministic CommerceAgent transactions where price and terms come from rules and verified data, never from a language model’s guess.
10Agent LegibilityHow easily an AI agent can read, verify, and trust what a business says about itself: inventory, price, fees, reviews, policies, and whether the posted price is the price it will honor.
11Two-Lane RetailOne store, one inventory, two lanes.