Amazon blocks Meta's Muse AI shopping agent

Amazon has blocked Meta Platforms' new artificial intelligence agent, Muse, on its retail website after Meta refused a request to remove the bot. Meta introduced Muse earlier this month to help users perform online tasks, including booking appointments and shopping. Amazon prohibits third-party automated shopping tools on its site and began blocking Muse on the night of September 20, 2026, according to a company spokesperson.

Shoppers accessing Amazon through Muse encounter pop-up alerts stating that using the tool violates the company's terms of service. Amazon spokesperson Lara Hendrickson said in an emailed statement that third-party applications buying on behalf of customers must operate transparently and respect service providers' choices to opt in or out, noting that such requirements are standard in food delivery apps and online travel agencies.

Amazon is developing its own automated shopping technology while blocking rival bots from crawling its product catalog. Last year, Amazon sued artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI, alleging it concealed shopping agents after Amazon demanded their removal. While consumers currently use bots mainly to research rather than execute orders, automated agents could eventually route shopping orders to rival e-commerce platforms, threatening Amazon's sales and advertising revenue.

Earlier this year, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy remarked that shopping through AI agents remained flawed, noting that bots frequently produce errors regarding prices and product details. In April, Jassy stated that Amazon was holding discussions with developers to improve the experience for shoppers and participating companies.