Amazon is implementing measures to control how AI shopping tools interact with its e-commerce platform. The company has updated its robots.txt file to block AI agents from Google, OpenAI, Perplexity, and Anthropic. This prevents Amazon product pages from appearing in some AI-powered search results.
This move comes as AI shopping tools become more prevalent, with the ability to browse the web, recommend products, and even make purchases automatically. While Amazon is blocking these agents, other retailers are taking different approaches. Shopify is more open to partnerships, while Walmart is building its own AI tools to expand its e-commerce business.
Experts suggest that Amazon's decision to block AI agents could be a mistake, potentially leading to a loss of market share. Some analysts believe that Amazon is trying to protect its advertising business. The situation highlights the tension between retailers wanting to be aggregators rather than being aggregated by AI tools.
