Amazon blocks Meta's AI agent Muse from shopping on its platform
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Amazon has blocked Meta's newly launched personal AI agent, Muse, from shopping on its website, citing unauthorized access and privacy concerns. The block began Sunday night after Amazon failed to persuade Meta to voluntarily exclude Amazon from Muse's capabilities. Muse, released on September 8, is designed to autonomously perform tasks like shopping, booking travel, and sending emails by breaking down user goals and interacting with websites. Amazon claims Muse did not identify itself as an AI agent, collected user account credentials, and accessed account pages and order history without permission, violating Amazon's terms of service. Meta responded that Muse cannot read passwords or payment information, and that user credentials are stored securely. The dispute highlights broader industry tensions over control of the online shopping experience as AI agents become more prevalent. Amazon has previously blocked similar AI agents from Google, OpenAI, and Perplexity. The two companies have a business relationship, including a multi-billion-dollar cloud computing deal signed in April. Amazon declined to comment on potential legal action.
Source report
Since Sunday evening local time, Amazon has blocked access for Meta's newly launched personal AI agent, Muse, preventing it from making purchases on behalf of users on Amazon's website. The e-commerce giant had previously attempted to persuade Meta to voluntarily exclude Amazon from Muse's capabilities, but negotiations failed to reach an agreement.
Background on Muse
Muse was launched on September 8. Meta positions it as a personal AI agent that can, based solely on user goals, autonomously break down tasks, open web pages, fill out forms, and call external applications to complete actions such as sending emails, scheduling appointments, booking travel, and purchasing products.
Amazon's Concerns
According to Amazon, Muse's access to its platform was never authorized. Key issues raised by Amazon include:
- Meta did not inform Amazon in advance that Muse would access its e-commerce platform.
- The agent does not identify itself when browsing web pages.
- Muse appears to collect and store user account credentials, which Amazon considers a privacy and security risk.
When users attempt to place an order on Amazon via Muse, a prompt appears stating:
"Unauthorized AI agents continuing to access this website violates Amazon's terms of use, which have been accepted by our users."
Official Statements
An Amazon spokesperson stated:
"The principle is quite simple. If a third-party application is acting on behalf of a consumer to make purchases from other merchants, the process should be open and transparent, and it must respect the service provider's decision on whether to participate in that service."
Meta has previously stated that "Muse cannot read users' passwords or payment information." User-submitted account credentials are stored in a secure storage area. Muse can access these credentials but cannot view them in plain text, similar to passwords entered directly by users in their browsers.
Broader Context
The conflict between the two tech giants is particularly notable given their existing business合作关系:
- Since 2023, users have been able to purchase Amazon products within Facebook and Instagram.
- In April of this year, Meta signed a multi-billion-dollar agreement to run its AI agent workloads on Amazon Web Services (AWS).
This dispute also reflects a broader industry debate: when AI agents shop on behalf of consumers, who controls the online shopping experience and customer relationships?
Amazon's Broader Actions Against AI Agents
Over the past year, Amazon has consistently blocked external AI agents from scraping its website data. The company has:
- Filed a lawsuit against Perplexity's Comet browser.
- Blocked shopping agents from Google and OpenAI.
Communication and Legal Options
Amazon confirmed it has engaged in direct communication with Meta regarding the incident. When asked whether it would pursue legal action, Amazon declined to comment.
Commercial Stakes for Amazon
The issue carries significant commercial implications for Amazon. Beyond its core e-commerce business, the company generated over $68 billion in advertising revenue last year (approximately 455.92 billion RMB at current exchange rates). This advertising business relies heavily on users actively browsing the web and viewing sponsored products on the platform.
Amazon stated that once a user issues a command, Muse can access account pages and historical order records. Because the agent does not identify itself, it effectively operates as an undisclosed third party within the user's account—processing transactions and accessing sensitive data—without Amazon's knowledge or permission.
Amazon's Position on Third-Party Agents
Amazon argues that publicly operating third-party agents are essential to maintaining a safe and reliable user experience. Services that place orders on behalf of users typically require merchant consent, such as food delivery platforms connecting with restaurants or online travel agencies booking flights for users.
Market risk exists; invest with caution. This article is AI-generated based on third-party data and is for reference only. It does not constitute personal investment advice.
Source: Market Information Author: Wen Ye
Source
金融界Neutral / independent