Amazon Blocks Third-Party AI Shopping Agents, Shopify Bets on Them

Amazon cut off a hit AI shopping agent from its site, citing unauthorized access and credential capture; its maker denies the claims. Shopify took the opposite bet, letting the same agent power checkout across its stores. Agents bypass Amazon's sponsored listings, a business worth tens of billions in ad revenue.

• Amazon blocked the shopping agent 12 days after its launch
• The agent bypasses Amazon's sponsored listings, a multi-billion-dollar ad business
• Shopify lets the same agent power checkout across its hosted stores
• Amazon previously sued a rival browser-agent maker over similar access