Amazon, The RealReal, and Target have blocked AI shopping agents from accessing their sites, while Meta’s Muse platform remains restricted to internal testing. These moves follow reports that autonomous agents struggle with basic tasks like finding specific items or completing checkout processes without constant human correction. Retailers appear concerned about the potential for fraud, accidental purchases, and the sheer volume of support requests generated by confused software.
The hesitation reflects a gap between marketing promises and current technical reality. While companies sell these tools as personal assistants capable of independent action, users find they often require excessive instruction and return incorrect results. This friction suggests that widespread adoption of autonomous shopping will depend on solving reliability issues rather than just expanding access.
* Amazon cites security risks as a primary reason for the block.
* The RealReal notes the difficulty of verifying item authenticity via automated agents.
* Target states it is evaluating the technology before allowing public access.
