Amazon's CEO says AI shopping agents don't hurt its ad business, yet Amazon blocked Muse. Here is what that means if you use an AI helper to shop.
Amazon's latest earnings did not impress investors, and CEO Andy Jassy's answer about AI agents may be part of the reason, according to Inc. Jassy said AI agents do not hurt Amazon's ad business. Amazon also blocked Muse, which sits oddly beside that message.
An AI agent is a tool that does tasks for you, such as comparing prices or shopping for you. Amazon earns money from ads placed in front of shoppers. If a program does the browsing, a person may never see those ads. That is why Jassy's comment drew attention. Blocking Muse seems to point the other way.
The material available does not say what Muse is, how Amazon blocked it, or why. It also gives no earnings figures. Whether the block and Jassy's comment are truly at odds is not yet clear.
If you use an AI helper to shop or compare prices, big sites like Amazon may block it. A tool that works well on one store may not work on another.
Amazon has not explained, in the material available, how it will treat AI agents going forward. Watch for whether it blocks more of them.
AI shopping helpers may be blocked on big sites like Amazon, so confirm prices on the store itself.
A former Nvidia product manager has started Udu Technologies to let African startups and institutions rent AI computing power instead of buying it.
Read more: Ex-Nvidia engineer starts company to bring AI computing power to AfricaEA has re-released 25 classic PC games at a discount until November 19, and Bethesda has finally given The Elder Scrolls VI a subtitle: Sentinel.
Read more: EA brings 25 classic PC games back, and Elder Scrolls VI gets a nameOpenAI released a ChatGPT for analysts and bankers that shows where each number came from, a feature that could matter well beyond finance.
Read more: OpenAI launches a ChatGPT built for Wall Street analysts
