Amazon Blocks External AI Services as It Expands In-House Automation

Amazon has taken a bold stance against external AI services by blocking Meta's Muse assistant from accessing its platform. This move is part of Amazon's strategy to maintain control over its customer interface and defend its lucrative revenue streams, which include advertising dollars and third-party seller fees.

The company's in-house Seller Assistant has been upgraded with automated workflows that can monitor pricing dynamics, inventory levels, and customer reviews without requiring merchants to log in manually. A new plugin allows external AI agents like Anthropic's Claude and Amazon's own Quick to integrate with the platform.

Amazon's decision to block external AI services is a response to concerns that they could capture product discovery and reduce Amazon's ad placements. The company has also sweetened the pot for its sellers by offering them a complimentary subscription to Amazon Quick Plus for setting up workflows and allowing US merchants to offer Prime delivery on their own websites.