AI assistants encounter growing website blocks as retailers tighten anti‑bot defenses

Personal AI agents such as Meta’s Muse, Instinct and OpenAI’s Dots are increasingly being stopped by retailer and service sites when they try to perform tasks like booking travel or ordering goods. Reports note that sites including Amazon, Walmart, Delta, United, Yelp, eBay, Adidas and Pizza Hut have presented verification hurdles that prevent the agents from completing actions. OpenAI demonstrated its Dots service in a live conversation about buying a couch, where the agent gathered specifications, budget limits and style cues and generated a multi‑page list of options with prices and links. The episode highlighted practical challenges for agents operating on commercial websites, while companies including Meta, Stripe, Sierra, Genesys, Rocket, NiCE and Decagon are working on an open standard to address the issue.