Amazon blocks Meta's Muse AI agent from checkouts

Meta’s Muse AI agent has been blocked from shopping on Amazon on behalf of its users, GeekWire reports. A popup message started appearing on Sunday for Muse users saying that “continued access by an unauthorised AI agent violates Amazon’s Conditions of Use, to which our customers have agreed.”

According to GeekWire, Meta didn’t notify Amazon that Muse would access its store. Amazon also expressed privacy and security concerns over Muse failing to identify itself when it browses and seemingly capturing customer credentials.

“We think it’s fairly straightforward that third-party applications that offer to make purchases on behalf of customers from other businesses should operate openly and respect service provider decisions about whether or not to participate,” an unnamed Amazon spokesperson said in a statement to GeekWire. We have reached out to Meta for comment.

When Meta launched Muse earlier this month, it said the AI agent cannot see secure login details or card payment information.

We used it during testing to successfully purchase tank tops from Amazon while other products were in the basket. Some privacy concerns have emerged since launch, however, with reports that Muse can see the contents of user messages despite not having the necessary access permission enabled.

This is the latest move on the part of Amazon to defend itself against competing agents in AI systems and continue to provide services through Amazon directly to its customers.

Amazon sued Perplexity back in November in an attempt to exclude Amazon from their Comet shopping experience, but the judge ruled in favour of Perplexity in August.

The confirmation emails from Amazon have been very bare-bones since July, as the names of specific products as well as product images have not been included for fear that the information will be harvested by competing AI systems.