Amazon blocks Meta’s Muse AI agent from shopping on its site

Amazon said it initially asked Meta to voluntarily exclude its site from Muse’s reach. “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. The Verge, citing GeekWire, reported that Meta did not 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 over what The Verge described as Muse seemingly capturing customer credentials.

Meta launched Muse earlier this month as a “secure, private personal AI agent that proactively helps with people’s goals and suggests ideas.” The company said the agent can fill out forms, send emails, and shop using a generated single-use card from Link by Stripe. In its launch announcement, Meta stated that “Muse has no visibility into people’s passwords or payment methods,” and that any credentials a person shares go into secure storage so Muse can use them without seeing them, including passwords a person types into the browser themselves. When Meta launched Muse, it also said the AI agent cannot see secure login details or card payment information.

The Verge reported that it used Muse during testing to successfully purchase tank tops from Amazon while other products were in the basket. It also said some privacy concerns have emerged since launch, with reports that Muse can see the contents of user messages despite not having the necessary access permission enabled. Engadget reported that Amazon is frustrated that Muse does not make itself known while browsing its website, and that Amazon believes Muse poses privacy and security risks, including access to and retention of customers’ information.

The block is Amazon’s latest effort to fend off competition from rival agentic AI services and keep customers shopping with the retailer directly, The Verge reported. Amazon sued Perplexity in November last year in a similar attempt to keep the Amazon platform out of the AI search provider’s Comet shopping experience; a judge sided with Perplexity in the case in August. Confirmation emails from Amazon have also started looking sparse since July, with specific item names and product images omitted to limit that information from being mined by external AI services. The Verge said it had reached out to Meta for comment. Engadget said it had contacted Amazon and Meta for comment.

Editor's Summary Amazon has blocked Meta’s Muse AI agent from shopping on its site, citing unauthorized access and privacy and security concerns. Meta says Muse cannot see passwords or payment methods and stores shared credentials securely. The dispute is part of Amazon’s broader effort to control how third-party AI agents interact with its retail platform.