The way we shop online is about to change forever. This week, two AI agents, chatgpt’s Shopping Research and Perplexity’s new Shopping Assistant, are here to find deals for you. You can compare prices, read reviews and choose the best options while doing other things.
But just as that future was taking shape, Amazon closed its doors. By blocking ChatGPT’s access to its website, the world’s largest retailer has created a conflict over who can dictate what can be viewed and bought online.
If you’re considering relying on AI to investigate transactions, this is more important than it seems.
First Amazon
Some people like to look at all the specifications and price comparisons before buying something online. I am not one of them; I hate shopping. I want to find what I need at a reasonable price and get on with my day.
That’s why I use Amazon. It is fast, reliable and trustworthy. And I know I’m not the only one who does this. This is exactly why Amazon sees ChatGPT’s entry into the commercial space as a threat.
If people start their shopping journey with AI-powered search agents, Amazon risks losing its place as the default starting point.
This week, after ChatGPT launched Shopping Research, Amazon updated its robots.txt file to prevent ChatGPT agents from collecting data on your website. The result: ChatGPT can no longer read Amazon’s product, price, specification, or review pages.
“In my view, Amazon’s decision to block OpenAI trackers is the logical step in the technological conflict between a dominant retail ecosystem and an emerging open ecosystem,” said Max Sinclair, CEO of AIO visibility startup Azoma.ai. “This trend occurs with every major technological change.”
It’s no surprise that Amazon will maintain its grip on the market, but it will likely have real consequences. If AI-powered shopping assistants take off, companies like Walmart and Target in the US and Currys in the UK, along with thousands of independent retailers, could suddenly compete with Amazon in an unprecedented way.
The Amazon Paradox
“Amazon now faces a paradox,” says Sinclair. “If it remains closed, it risks ceding the AI agent layer to competitors. But if it opens, it gives control of the customer relationship to an external platform.”
And Amazon’s move highlights a much larger shift taking place in retail. I spoke to Jonathan Arena, co-founder of New Generation, the company behind Kepler, which makes shopping sites accessible through artificial intelligence, about the future.
“The reality is simple: if a brand doesn’t create an AI-powered version of its website, it won’t appear on the thousands of AI-powered surfaces where people ultimately shop,” says Arena. “The brands that invest now will be the brands that consumers will actually find.”
In other words, if your favorite store doesn’t fit, your AI assistant may never show it to you.
Regardless of how things develop at Amazon, the era of AI-powered shopping has already begun. Adaptive retailers shape what you see, what you compare and what you buy; the ones that don’t just disappear from your AI agent’s results.
AI is not only changing the way we shop, but also who controls our entire shopping experience.