The next alliance network might be built for agencies rather than websites.

Traditional alliance networks were designed for the online-native world. Publishers create content, users click on links, merchants track conversions, and commissions are paid. But the way AI agents work is different. "The publisher" could be an agency. The content could be a conversation. Recommendations can be generated in real time. Clicks might occur after multiple tool invocations. The conversion process might also be attributed across multiple steps. This means new infrastructure is needed: Support for agent discovery. Machine-readable disclosure information. Business relationship metadata. Workflow-based tracking. Settlement logic. Merchant-facing reports. Therefore, the next generation of alliance infrastructure might not be like link networks. It might be more like a protocol and distribution layer for conducting business recommendations within the agency workflow.