Amazon blocks Meta's Muse AI agent from shopping for users
What's the story
Amazon has blocked Meta's Muse AI agent from making purchases on its platform on behalf of users. The move comes after a pop-up message started appearing on Sunday, warning that "continued access by an unauthorized AI agent violates Amazon's Conditions of Use, to which our customers have agreed." The decision follows privacy and security concerns raised over Muse not disclosing itself while browsing and potentially capturing customer credentials.
AI capabilities
Muse's browsing capabilities and privacy concerns
When Muse was launched earlier this month, Meta claimed the AI agent couldn't see secure login details or card payment information.
However, during testing, it was able to successfully purchase tops from Amazon while other products remained in the basket.
Some privacy concerns have also emerged since launch over Muse's ability to view user message contents without necessary access permission enabled.
Competition
Amazon had previously sued Perplexity for AI shopping feature
The move to block Muse is part of Amazon's broader strategy to combat competition from rival agentic AI services.
The company had previously sued Perplexity in November last year, hoping to keep the Amazon platform out of the AI search provider's Comet shopping experience.
However, a judge ruled in favor of Perplexity in August.