Amazon restricts Meta's AI assistant Muse from making purchases on its platform

Amazon has cut off Meta's new AI shopping agent, Muse, from accessing Amazon.com, setting up a fresh clash between two of the biggest names in tech over the future of AI-driven commerce. The move highlights how retailers are drawing hard lines around automated agents that browse and shop on behalf of users without permission.

Why Amazon Shut Muse Out

According to GeekWire, Meta launched Muse on Amazon's marketplace without any agreement in place. Amazon says the agent does not identify itself as an AI while browsing the site, and that it appears to store customer data — a combination the company argues creates security risks for shoppers.

Customers who encountered the agent now see a notice explaining that access by an unauthorized AI agent breaches Amazon's terms of service. Meta has previously stated that Muse has no access to users' passwords or payment information, a point the company has emphasized as it pitches the agent to consumers.

Part of a Wider Battle Over AI Shopping

Amazon's action against Muse fits a broader pattern. The company has already taken steps to block shopping agents built by Perplexity, Google, and OpenAI, all of which aim to automate the process of finding and buying products online. Retailers like Amazon have strong incentives to keep customer relationships — and the data that comes with them — inside their own ecosystem rather than handing them to third-party intermediaries.

Partners On and Off the Battlefield

Despite the confrontation, the two companies remain deeply entangled as business partners. In April, Meta signed a deal worth billions of dollars to buy Amazon's custom cloud chips, underlining how much of Meta's AI infrastructure depends on its rival's hardware business.

Muse itself has been a fast riser. Since launching on September 8, the agent reached the top of the US App Store as the most-downloaded free app within a single week, signaling strong consumer appetite for hands-free shopping tools.

What to Watch Next

The standoff raises questions that will shape AI commerce broadly: whether retailers can require agents to register and identify themselves, who bears responsibility when agents handle customer data, and how partnerships survive when products compete directly. As more AI agents attempt to shop autonomously, expect Amazon and other retailers to formalize rules — or keep locking the door.