Amazon and JPMorgan are blocking Meta's Muse AI agent

Amazon and JPMorgan are among firms blocking Meta's Muse AI agent, per CNBC and Wired.

CNBC reports JPMorgan, Charles Schwab, Amazon, Neiman Marcus and Kohl's have moved to block personal agents like Muse. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon cites security risks. An Amazon spokesperson said it has asked Meta to remove Amazon from the experience. Per Wired, Amazon blocked Muse last month, arguing users would prefer its own Alexa shopping agent, but this week said it anticipates working with outside agents.

Executives at roughly 50 companies shrugged off immediate disruption on earnings calls and in conversations with Wired, and many said they would mostly benefit from agent adoption. Hilton called agent bookings "insignificant"; eBay called activity "very, very small." Zuckerberg says more than 10 million people in the US and Canada have activated Muse.

Accenture's Michael Abbott says the institutions that win tend to participate safely rather than resist. Accenture research found 71% of consumers would welcome an AI assistant in their bank's app, and 82% want to approve every AI action. Walmart is opening its site to agents, and Insurify reversed its block this week.

“The institutions that win are usually the ones that find a way to participate safely rather than resist the change.”Michael Abbott, global banking lead, Accenture

The facts we checked

According to CNBC and Wired

1. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said the bank currently blocks external AI agents from operating on behalf of retail customers, citing security risks.Reported · CNBC
2. CNBC reports JPMorgan, Charles Schwab, Amazon, Neiman Marcus and Kohl's have moved to block personal agents like Meta Muse.Reported · CNBC
3. An Amazon spokesperson said third-party agentic applications such as Muse have the same obligations and that Amazon has requested Meta remove Amazon from the experience.Reported · CNBC
4. Wired reports Amazon blocked Muse last month, contending users would prefer its own Alexa shopping agent, but this week acknowledged it anticipates working with outside agents.Reported · Wired
5. Walmart said it is opening its site to AI agents that customers prefer to use.Reported · CNBC
6. Audit of 51 large U.S. retailers' published access rules by Billions Network and AmanTrue: only 11 have taken a deliberate position on AI agents; five, including Amazon, Kohl's and Neiman Marcus, explicitly restrict them. The audit notes published rules are not proof of technical enforcement.Figure · CNBC
7. "The institutions that win are usually the ones that find a way to participate safely rather than resist the change." — Michael Abbott, global banking lead at AccentureQuote · CNBC
8. Accenture research found 71% of consumers would welcome an AI assistant embedded within their primary bank's mobile app; 82% want to approve every AI action.Figure · CNBC
9. Visa's Michael Jabbara said fraud risks from agents are "very real and very tangible."Quote · CNBC
10. Executives at roughly 50 companies shrugged off immediate disruption from Muse on earnings calls and in conversations with Wired, and many said they would mostly benefit from widespread agent adoption.Reported · Wired
11. Hilton called bookings from agents "insignificant"; eBay termed agent activity "very, very small."Quote · Wired
12. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said more than 10 million people in the US and Canada had activated Muse, and over 25 percent used it for shopping.Reported · Wired
13. Insurance marketplace Insurify blocked Muse but this week changed its mind after introducing technology to ensure agents could present accurate offers.Reported · Wired

Sources

• CNBCFor JPMorgan, Amazon, fighting AI bots like Meta Muse may not be a winning long-term strategy
• WiredMeta’s Muse Could Upend All Kinds of Businesses. It Hasn’t Yet