Walmart opens doors as Amazon blocks AI agents
agents amazon
| Source: TechCrunch | Original article
Amazon is blocking AI agents from shopping on its site, while Walmart is launching a service that lets AI agents purchase items for customers with spending controls and transaction approvals.
Walmart announced on Wednesday that it is opening its platform to AI‑driven shopping assistants through a new “Agent Gateway.” The service lets autonomous agents – including those from Meta’s Muse, OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini – place orders on a shopper’s behalf, while giving users tools to set spending limits and approve each transaction. The move follows Amazon’s decision to block AI agents from making purchases on its site, a policy that has already been extended to several travel and booking platforms.
The contrasting approaches signal the first clear split in the retail sector over “agentic commerce,” a nascent model in which consumers delegate routine buying tasks to software. Walmart’s rollout positions the retailer as a testing ground for developers who want to embed commerce capabilities in their bots, potentially accelerating the integration of AI into everyday purchasing. By offering granular controls, Walmart aims to address concerns about unauthorized spending and fraud, a key hurdle for broader adoption.
Industry observers note that the decision could reshape the competitive landscape. If shoppers grow comfortable with agents handling groceries, household goods or even larger purchases, retailers that facilitate the workflow may capture a new revenue stream and attract developer ecosystems. Conversely, Amazon’s restrictive stance may push developers toward Walmart or force a re‑evaluation of platform policies across the sector.
What to watch next includes the uptake of Walmart’s Agent Gateway by third‑party developers, consumer response to delegated purchasing, and any regulatory scrutiny over automated transactions. Amazon’s next move—whether it tightens its blocks further or revises its policy—will also be a barometer for how quickly the AI‑shopping arms race intensifies.
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