Some Websites Are Blocking AI Agents From Using Their Services
Online stores, banks and other service providers are restricting AI agents that shop or book travel on users' behalf. Some limits are deliberate, while others stem from existing security systems that cannot tell agents from unwanted automated traffic.
Personal AI agents that browse websites, fill shopping carts and book travel for users are running into obstacles: several major sites block them or demand proof that a human is present. Tech outlet Engadget reports this, citing TechCrunch. For users, it often means finishing the task themselves after all.
What happened with Meta's agent
Muse, the AI assistant from US technology company Meta, ran into verification checks on the website of retailer Walmart, one of Meta's retail partners. Walmart says the checks were not intended to stop the assistant. Amazon, by contrast, has deliberately blocked the tool from shopping on its site.
Deliberate restrictions
Security matters most when money is involved. During an October earnings call at the bank JPMorgan Chase, chief financial officer Jeremy Barnum said some agents use shared login credentials and screen scraping to move funds, methods he called not secure. The bank blocks them where possible and warns that customers who hand over their credentials could be responsible if an agent takes an unwanted action.
Amazon is also in a dispute with Perplexity over its Comet browser, which includes an AI agent. Amazon argues the agent breaks its access rules and puts customer data at risk, while Perplexity says users have authorized it to act. A US federal appeals court vacated a preliminary injunction against Perplexity in August 2026, but the underlying dispute is unresolved. Amazon has its own Buy for Me feature that purchases products from other brands' websites.
Marketplace eBay's user agreement prohibits unauthorized buy-for-me agents unless the company gives permission. Airline Delta told TechCrunch it has no integration allowing third-party agents to book flights through its website, though it did not confirm whether it deliberately blocks specific agents.
Existing bot protections
A block is not always a deliberate ban. Real estate site Zillow has acknowledged that its anti-scraping defenses sometimes catch agents it otherwise permits. Google explains that shared VPN networks can trigger reCAPTCHA challenges when their traffic resembles automated activity.
Internet infrastructure company Cloudflare now lets website owners distinguish between search crawlers, AI training bots and agents acting for users. Since September 15, new domains using Cloudflare default to allowing search crawlers while blocking AI training bots and agents on pages that display ads. Owners can change these rules.
Shopify's checkout tools let compatible browser agents update checkout details and submit orders after the buyer confirms, handing control back to shoppers for required authentication steps.
