Why some websites are blocking AI agents from accessing the web

Amazon is blocking rival shopping agents, and even websites that welcome AI assistants can stop them with an ordinary CAPTCHA. An AI agent can take over your grocery shopping, right up until a website asks it to prove it's human. That's the problem Meta's Muse has encountered at Walmart (one of its retail partners), which says the verification checks weren't intended to stop the assistant. Amazon has been more direct, deliberately blocking the tool from shopping on its site, according to TechCrunch . The appeal of personal AI agents like Meta's Muse is that these assistants can navigate websites, fill shopping carts and book travel instead of handing you recommendations and leaving the rest to you.