AI shopping wars: Walmart welcomes AI agents while Amazon blocks Muse

Walmart and Amazon are taking different approaches to artificial intelligence shopping agents, according to Axios. Walmart is welcoming AI agents, while Amazon is blocking Muse, highlighting a growing split over how automated tools should interact with major online retail platforms.

AI shopping agents are designed to help consumers search for products, compare options and potentially carry out parts of the purchasing process. For retailers, these systems could change how shoppers discover goods and how much control merchants retain over product presentation, recommendations and customer relationships.

The contrast between Walmart’s openness and Amazon’s decision involving Muse underscores the competitive stakes around agent-driven commerce. Large retailers are increasingly weighing the potential customer convenience of AI tools against concerns about platform access, shopping experiences and the role of third-party systems in retail transactions. The differing policies could influence how AI developers design shopping services and where consumers can use them.