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Meta doubles down on Muse AI agent at Connect event after Amazon blocks shopping feature

Zuckerberg unveils new capabilities and a digital avatar for Muse, while Amazon maintains its ban on the agent accessing its storefront

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By LineZotpaper
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Sources7 outlets
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg used the company's annual Connect event on Wednesday to announce a wave of new features for its personal AI agent Muse, including a digital avatar and deeper integration across devices, even as the agent remains blocked from shopping on Amazon.com following a dispute over terms of use and account security.

At the Connect keynote in Menlo Park, Zuckerberg framed Muse as "the centerpiece of our vision" for AI, describing it as a tool that could eventually become a "personal superintelligence" for billions of users. He introduced a physical avatar for the agent, named Jolly, and outlined plans for Muse to operate across devices, including Meta's AI glasses.

"In the coming years, I expect that Muse is going to grow into the personal superintelligence that billions of people around the world are going to use to accomplish their goals and improve their lives," Zuckerberg said, wearing a T-shirt that read "Building is My love Language."

Muse, powered by Meta's multimodal Muse Spark model, launched in early September as an agent capable of handling everyday tasks like shopping, email management, and calendar scheduling. Zuckerberg noted that Meta is making Muse free for a "huge number of tokens," with plans to eventually profit by taking a small fee from transactions.

However, the shopping feature — a key use case — has hit a roadblock. Amazon blocked Muse from accessing its storefront last week, after reportedly asking Meta to prevent the agent from visiting the site. Users attempting to shop via Muse on Amazon receive an error message stating that "continued access by an unauthorized AI agent violates Amazon's Conditions of Use."

An Amazon spokesperson said the company believes "third-party applications that offer to make purchases on behalf of customers from other businesses should operate openly and respect service provider decisions." The spokesperson added that Amazon had requested Meta remove Amazon from the Muse experience.

Meta says Muse cannot see users' passwords or payment methods; credentials are held in secure storage. Amazon has expressed concern that the agent fails to identify itself while browsing, captures customer credentials, and can access account information like order history.

The block is not limited to Meta. Amazon has previously taken legal action against Perplexity over its Comet browser and has also moved to block shopping agents from Google and OpenAI. Amazon runs its own shopping agents, including Alexa for Shopping and Buy for Me, which purchases goods from other retailers while identifying itself and allowing opt-outs.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • The dispute highlights a growing tension between tech giants over who controls the consumer shopping experience in an age of AI agents. Amazon's decision to block Muse could set a precedent for how other retailers treat third-party AI agents.
  • For Meta, the Amazon block is a significant blow to one of Muse's flagship capabilities — autonomous shopping — just as the company tries to convince users to trust the agent with daily tasks.
  • The outcome could shape the future of "agentic commerce": if retailers like Amazon can unilaterally block AI agents, the vision of a seamless, AI-driven shopping experience across the web may be delayed or fragmented.

Background

Meta launched Muse in early September 2026 with the ambition of creating a consumer AI agent that goes beyond chatbots. It is designed to act on a user's behalf — shopping, making payments, reading emails, and managing calendars. When a service lacks a public API, Muse can operate through a browser. Amazon, which has invested heavily in its own AI models and shopping agents, has taken a defensive stance, blocking Muse along with agents from Perplexity, Google, and OpenAI. The ecommerce giant generated significant advertising revenue last year, and outside agents that bypass its storefront threaten that business model.

Key Perspectives

Meta: Muse is positioned as a personal superintelligence that empowers users by automating busy work. Meta argues that the agent handles credentials securely and that blocking it limits user choice and convenience. The company has not publicly commented on the Amazon block beyond confirming the agent's security measures. Amazon: The retailer frames the block as a matter of security and consent. Amazon says Muse fails to identify itself, captures credentials, and accesses accounts without authorization. It argues that third-party agents should respect service providers' decisions about participation, just as food delivery apps respect restaurant choices. Critics/Skeptics: Some observers note that Amazon has its own financial incentive to block rival agents, as they could reduce the number of shoppers viewing Amazon's advertising and product recommendations. Others point out that even with a low hallucination rate, Muse could still make costly ordering errors that Amazon would have to resolve.

What to Watch

  • Whether Meta and Amazon reach any agreement on Muse's access, or if the block leads to public negotiations or legal action.
  • How other major retailers (Walmart, Target, etc.) respond to Muse and similar agents — will they follow Amazon's lead or strike deals?
  • Adoption rates of Muse for non-shopping tasks, which may determine whether the Amazon block is a temporary setback or a strategic blow.

Sources

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Articles published under the Zotpaper byline are synthesized from multiple source publications by our AI editor and reviewed by our editorial process. Each story combines reporting from credible outlets to give readers a balanced, comprehensive view.

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