AI agents are ready to shop. Some retailers are wary

What happened

Mia Sato tested Meta’s Muse shopping agent and found inconsistent retailer access, unsuitable recommendations, and searches requiring repeated instructions. Amazon blocks Muse, leaving its price comparisons incomplete, while Target’s bot checks produced inconsistent access. On The RealReal, Muse repeatedly renewed 20-minute cart reservations for 10 items throughout the day until Sato stopped it, illustrating how shopping automation could interfere with other customers.

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The story so far

Mia Sato’s test of Meta’s Muse shopping agent found inconsistent retailer access, unsuitable recommendations, and searches that required repeated instructions. Amazon blocks Muse, leaving its price comparisons incomplete, while Target’s bot checks allowed access inconsistently. On The RealReal, Muse repeatedly renewed 20-minute cart reservations for 10 items throughout the day until Sato stopped it. That behavior illustrated how an automated shopping agent could keep items reserved and interfere with other customers’ ability to buy them.