Although autonomous AI agents from companies such as OpenAI, Meta, Google, xAI, and Instinct have been presented as the next major step in artificial intelligence, promising to book restaurant tables, purchase airline tickets, and shop online on behalf of users, websites around the world are increasingly refusing to cooperate and blocking their access.
The internet is gradually closing its doors to AI agents amid growing concerns over the financial losses they could cause.
Users of advanced AI agents such as Meta Muse, xAI Grok, and OpenAI Dots are reporting difficulties completing even basic tasks on major online platforms.
A wave of restrictions from financial giants to airlines
Restrictions on AI agents are spreading across nearly every major sector of online business, according to The Verge.
Banking giants JPMorgan Chase and Charles Schwab have officially confirmed that they are blocking AI agents from accessing customer accounts, citing data protection and security concerns.
Delta Air Lines has prevented AI agents from purchasing airline tickets, while Yelp has stated that it only allows access to AI systems that pay for its data licensing programs.
Users have also reported that Cars.com and Amtrak are no longer accessible through their AI assistants, suggesting that these services may also be quietly restricting agent access.
Amazon vs. Perplexity: The battle over advertising revenue
The legal and business conflict surrounding AI agents intensified after Amazon banned Perplexity's AI-powered shopping feature last year and filed a lawsuit against the startup.
Amazon argues that third-party services must respect retailers' decisions and operate transparently when making purchases on behalf of customers.
However, Perplexity and other AI startups argue that the real motivation behind these restrictions is financial.
When an AI agent makes a purchase on behalf of a human user, Amazon loses the opportunity to display sponsored listings and advertisements directly to that customer.
Although an initial court ruling prevented Perplexity from using its AI shopping agents on Amazon, an appeals court overturned the restriction in August.
Amazon subsequently filed an amended lawsuit, continuing the legal battle over the role of AI agents in online shopping.
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