Websites are closing their doors to AI agents
Companies like Amazon, Delta and Yelp are blocking agents from OpenAI, Meta, Google and others.
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Image: The Verge
The short version
- Users of agents such as Meta's Muse, xAI's Grok, OpenAI's Dots and Instinct report blocks on top websites.
- Yelp says it only allows AI agents that pay for its data licensing program, and Delta Air Lines prevents them from booking tickets.
- JPMorgan Chase and Charles Schwab confirmed they block AI agents from accessing accounts due to security concerns.
- Amazon said Muse's continued access violates its site policies, and Amazon previously sued Perplexity over its shopping agent.
- Anti-bot systems also block some agent activity, and Cloudflare now blocks crawlers that scrape for both search and AI training.
Why it matters
Agents only help if they can reach the sites people use. Fewer places where agents work means fewer useful tasks they can do, according to one AI safety evaluator. Developers building agents will need to handle blocks, anti-bot checks and site rules.
“Does this impact the perceived value of the Anthropics and the OpenAIs? I would say absolutely,”