The rise of artificial intelligence agents that shop for their users could present a challenge to Amazon’s status as a first stop for shopping and a place for advertisers to reach consumers, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday (Nov. 1).
If AI agents like Meta‘s Muse find and buy products, they will replace human browsing and the impact of ads, according to the report.
When Amazon blocked Muse from shopping on its site, even as Walmart and Shopify embraced shopping agents, some observers said this could make the retailer vulnerable as more consumers choose to use agents, the report said.
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The report highlighted an Oct.7 post on X in which Silicon Valley investor Paul Graham wrote: “Amazon banning agents is the first opportunity I’ve seen since Amazon was founded for a startup to create an Amazon competitor. People will want agents to buy stuff for them.”
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy dismissed any threat from AI agents during a Thursday (Oct. 29) earnings call, saying that few consumers are using agents to shop, the user experience of the agents is not great and Amazon’s own Alexa for Shopping “is going to be the primary shopping agent customers use to shop Amazon,” per the report.
The PYMNTS Intelligence report “Will the 2026 Shopping Season Go Agentic?“ found that Amazon is securing 59% of AI-assisted purchases because of its competitive pricing, delivery and return policies.
“The research start moved, but completion remains concentrated,” the report said. “Amazon accounts for 29% of research starts, 49% of main purchase completion and 59% of the most recent AI-assisted purchase.”
Amazon announced Thursday (Oct. 29) that it introduced several new capabilities for Alexa for Shopping. The company said its AI assistant can now help with more than 100 new shopping actions, such as creating, adding to and editing grocery lists and baby registries.
It was reported Wednesday (Oct. 28) that Amazon has been expanding and enhancing its Shop Direct initiative, which lists products from brands that don’t sell on its site, in an effort to keep shoppers coming to its site rather than using outside personal AI agents.
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