AI-based shopping agents are already arriving, and internet gatekeepers are reacting differently. In a notable early move, Amazon blocked Meta’s Muse assistant while Shopify allowed it, signaling the first visible fault line over how purchases will be handled online.
Why companies differ
The divergent responses reflect underlying business incentives. Retailers such as Amazon focus on capturing human attention—views and clicks that can be monetized via advertising and promoted add-on sales—so they have reasons to restrict third-party bots that could bypass or dilute that relationship.
By contrast, e-commerce enablers like Shopify primarily serve merchants and earn revenue from storefront software licensing, fulfillment services, and financing. For these platform providers, integrating AI assistants can enhance the merchant experience, so they are more inclined to welcome such tools.
Less clear-cut cases: airlines and loyalty-driven businesses
Some sectors do not fit neatly into either category. Companies that depend on customer loyalty but not on impulse purchases—airlines are an example—face tougher choices about how to handle bots. The author’s attempt to rebook a Delta flight using Muse over a recent weekend encountered a bot blocker, illustrating that many service providers actively protect their transactional interfaces.
What will matter going forward
As AI assistants become more capable and handle a larger share of shopping tasks, expect a sorting process: some companies will seek to maintain direct control over customer interactions and monetizable attention, while others will prioritize enabling merchants and improving platform services. Which approach prevails will depend on which business models gain dominance in the digital commerce ecosystem.
Rohan Goswami
