E-commerce sites and banks limit AI shopping agents' access
What happened
On 22 October 2026, The Verge reported that AI agents can now shop on people's behalf, but some retailers are still putting up defences. After testing shopping agents including Meta Muse, the reporter found that Amazon has already sued Perplexity and blocked Meta Muse, and that Target's bot detection also intermittently blocks agents. On The RealReal, the reporter had Muse repeatedly add new items to the basket to hold the 20-minute reservation window, and noted that such automation crowds out other buyers' chances. Meta says Muse asks for permission before buying, while Target says it has protections against unauthorised agents.
Written by AI from the reports · updated 3 h ago
Timeline
Follow the reports to see the event from each side.
- The Verge · AIAI agents are ready to shop. Some retailers are wary.
Using an AI agent to shop for you is a strange experience. Tech companies have marketed them as personal assistants - the democratizing of labor that ordinarily would only be available to the rich and powerful.
Heat of this event
Current heat 9·Peak in the comparable range 10（Oct 22 22:00）·Change over 24 hours in the comparable range –
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