Science & Tech · Big Tech & Internet · 13 hrs ago
Amazon blocks Meta’s Muse shopping agent as Walmart embraces it
Amazon blocked Meta’s Muse agent from buying on its platform, citing safety concerns.
Muse is an AI assistant that can compare products and prices and help users make purchases.
Meta says more than 10 million people in the US and Canada set up Muse agents in its first month and a half.
Walmart and Shopify are working with Muse, giving it a route to help customers shop with them.
The shift could change where people start shopping and put pressure on Amazon’s advertising business, which depends in part on sponsored product placements.
Walmart says AI agents see the same prices and offers as human shoppers.
Amazon has not ruled out working with outside agents, but it has not said when or how it might do so.
JPMorgan Chase, Amazon and several other businesses have blocked or restricted some external AI agents from accessing customer accounts or making purchases.
Meta’s Muse shopping agent was blocked from buying items on Amazon, while Walmart and Shopify have agreed to work with Muse.
Businesses cite security concerns, while critics of blocking say companies risk resisting customer demand for AI-assisted services.
A review of access rules at 51 large U.S. retailers found that only 11 had taken a deliberate position on AI agents.
The growing use of AI agents is raising questions about customer choice, security and who controls online shopping and banking experiences.
- Who
- JPMorgan Chase, Amazon and other businesses are blocking or restricting AI agents. Walmart and Shopify are among the companies working with Meta’s Muse.
- What
- Some businesses are preventing external AI agents from accessing accounts or making purchases, while others are opening their services to them.
- When
- The articles were published on November 1, 2026. Meta launched Muse in September.
- Where
- The restrictions and partnerships involve U.S. banking and retail services, including Amazon and Walmart’s online platforms.
- Why
- Businesses cite security concerns. Some also face questions about how AI agents could affect their customer relationships and advertising.
Businesses restricting external AI agents
Businesses welcoming or supporting external AI agents
Security
Businesses restricting external AI agents
JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon said the bank blocks external agents from retail customer accounts because of security risks.
Businesses welcoming or supporting external AI agents
Michael Abbott of Accenture said businesses should find secure and trusted ways for authorized agents to engage.
Access to services
Businesses restricting external AI agents
Amazon blocked Muse from purchasing items on its platform; several retailers also restrict or block shopping agents.
Businesses welcoming or supporting external AI agents
Walmart said it is opening its virtual doors to agents customers prefer to use, and Walmart and Shopify have struck deals with Meta.
Long-term approach
Businesses restricting external AI agents
Amazon has cited safety concerns in blocking Muse purchases.
Businesses welcoming or supporting external AI agents
Abbott said institutions that participate safely are more likely to succeed than those that resist change.
Meta launched Muse, an AI agent that can assist with shopping, travel bookings and budgets.
Meta said more than 10 million people in the U.S. and Canada set up Muse agents.
Walmart announced that it was opening its online services to AI agents customers prefer to use.
Amazon had blocked Muse from purchasing items on its platform, and JPMorgan Chase had said it blocks external agents from retail customer accounts.
- Retailer audit
- 51 large U.S. retailers’ published access rules reviewed
- Deliberate positions
- 11 retailers had taken a deliberate position on AI agents
- Explicit restrictions
- 5 retailers, including Amazon, Kohl’s and Neiman Marcus, explicitly restrict agents
- Accidental blocks
- 37 retailers block shopping agents largely through older rules for bots
- Muse adoption
- More than 10 million people in the U.S. and Canada set up agents in its first month and a half
- Alexa for Shopping
- Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said it had been used by more than 400 million people in the last 12 months
3 sources
What people are saying
We price products, not people, so the prices that an AI agent sees are the same prices that a human would see on Walmart.com, with applicable offers and fees shown before purchase.
Most of the retailers in our audit have not made a decision about AI agents at all.
If customers explicitly authorize an AI agent to act on their behalf, that's ultimately an extension of customer choice.
The institutions that win are usually the ones that find a way to participate safely rather than resist the change.
Posts on X
This is insane. We cannot allow AI agents to go into your bank account and act independently without your authorization. But that is what’s happening right now. Left unchecked, AI could endanger the entire global financial system — including your bank account. Pause AI NOW!
This is the exact thing we’ve been warning about for years… AI agents with unrestrained access to your bank account and protected information. When consumer AI agents are accessing YOUR bank account or using YOUR credit card, they must be subject to fiduciary-like duties of
We will soon see what will be, in effect, a perfectly legal distributed denial of service attack on customer service departments authorized by millions of consumers when it becomes widely known that Muse/Dot/etc can make unlimited requests for old refunds, negotiate deals, etc.