The next hurdle for AI agents: getting websites to let them in

Personal AI agents, such as Meta's Muse, are beginning to offer more than just query responses, enabling users to perform tasks like booking flights, making restaurant reservations, and ordering groceries. However, these AI agents often encounter roadblocks when interacting with websites, as many sites employ anti-bot measures that prevent the agents from completing their intended actions. This issue is not limited to Meta's Muse; users have reported similar problems with other AI agents like ChatGPT's Dots.

The problems users face range from intentional blocks, like Amazon's decision to block Muse from its retail site, to unintentional issues caused by websites' traditional anti-bot measures. Users are left confused, unsure whether the block is accidental or intentional, leading to frustration with both service providers and the AI agents themselves. For instance, Snapchat's TechCrunch reported that Muse struggled to complete purchases on Walmart's website, despite Walmart being a partner of Muse.

One of the underlying issues is the current technology used to verify humans and protect websites from spam and bots. This technology may not be optimal for the agent-first era of the web. To address this challenge, industry partners, including Meta, Walmart, Stripe, Sierra, Genesys, Rocket, NiCE, and Decagon, are collaborating on an open standard to govern AI agents' communication with businesses. This standard will focus on agent-to-agent communication for online commerce.

While Walmart is attempting to be accessible via AI agents, other companies have been less welcoming. Delta, for example, stated that it is taking measures to prevent unauthorized automated activity, such as allowing AI agents to book flights, but is cautious about the security implications and customer experience. Other reported issues involve companies like Yelp, eBay, Zillow, Pizza Hut, Adidas, and several airlines blocking AI agents from their platforms.

Some users even claim that eBay suspended their accounts due to their use of agentic AI, and Google has reportedly kicked out Instinct while cleaning up Gmail inboxes.