Amazon CEO says shopping agents like Meta’s Muse ‘not great’

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy reassured investors during a recent call that he has no concerns about bots like Meta's Muse infiltrating Amazon's online marketplace. This statement follows Amazon's decision to block Muse from accessing its store a month ago, as the e-commerce giant deemed the AI assistant's entry incompatible with the conditions set by its customers.

While not mentioning Muse by name, Jassy noted that customers are not gravitating towards outside shopping agents because the interaction remains "not great" and lacks convenience compared to making purchases directly on Amazon's platform. Although Meta has secured partnerships with companies such as Shopify, Walmart, and Best Buy, Amazon has not joined their ranks.

Muse presents a potential threat to Amazon's core revenue stream, as it bypasses the traditional method of customers visiting the website or app, thereby avoiding the advertisements that drive the company's profits. Jassy attributed Amazon's lower-than-anticipated advertising performance in the third quarter to the presence of outside agents, rather than internal factors.

Amazon itself offers a shopping agent named "Alexa for shopping," which has garnered significant traction. In the past year, Alexa for shopping has attracted more than 400 million customers, with interactions increasing 570% compared to the previous year. Notably, U.S. customers who utilize the shopping agent spend 50% more per order than those who do not.

Meanwhile, Meta's Muse has experienced remarkable growth since its launch in early September. The AI assistant rapidly surpassed ChatGPT to become the most downloaded free app on Apple's App Store, and Meta's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, revealed that over 10 million people in the U.S. and Canada have set up Muse as of the announcement.

Muse can seamlessly integrate with calendars, emails, and other smartphone functions to execute tasks autonomously on behalf of users. Among its most popular functions is shopping, with more than a quarter of users engaging in transactions and the average purchase size reaching $200. While some users may be hesitant to adopt new technologies, Meta remains committed to working with partners to establish mutually beneficial terms.