网站正对 AI Agent 关上大门

自主 Agent 是当下 AI 领域最热门的话题。OpenAI、Meta、Google、Instinct 等公司承诺，它们的 Agent 可以替用户在互联网上搜寻信息，完成从预订晚餐、清理收件箱到购买新鞋等各种任务。但如果互联网上的其他参与者不愿配合，会发生什么？

最近几周，Meta 的 Muse、xAI 的 Grok、OpenAI 的 Dots 和 Instinct 等服务的用户报告称，他们的 AI Agent 在多家热门网站执行任务时遭到阻拦。Yelp 告诉 TechCrunch，它只允许付费加入其数据授权计划的 AI Agent 使用数据；达美航空则阻止 Agent 代替用户预订机票。摩根大通和嘉信理财也证实，出于安全顾虑，它们正在阻止 AI Agent 访问账户。一些用户表示，先前能通过 AI Agent 访问的网站如今已无法访问，Cars.com 和 Amtrak 就在其中，这表明其他公司可能也在悄然封禁 Agent。

亚马逊去年就已开始抵制 AI Agent：它封禁了 Perplexity 的 Agent 购物功能，并起诉了这家 AI 初创公司，引发了有关 Agent 在网络上未来发展的法律和实际问题。当时，亚马逊声称已“多次要求”Perplexity 停止允许其 AI Agent 在亚马逊网站购物，并补充说，代客户购买商品的第三方公司“应当公开运作，并尊重服务提供商是否参与的决定”。

Perplexity 回应称，亚马逊不希望 AI Agent 在其平台上活动，因为这会减少看到其广告的真人用户数量——这对这家电商巨头而言确实是个问题。这家 AI 初创公司将自己的 AI Agent 比作用户的延伸，认为亚马逊“不相信你有权雇用劳动力，让助手或员工代表你行事”。虽然一名法官后来命令 Perplexity停止让其 AI Agent 在亚马逊网站购物，但上诉法院于今年 8 月推翻了这一裁决。此后，亚马逊提交了一份修订后的诉状。

即使网站没有直接封禁 AI Agent，Agent 仍可能与反机器人系统发生冲突

这场仍在持续的法律纠纷并未阻止 OpenAI、Meta 和 Google 推出各自的 Agent，但它们正面临与 Perplexity 相同的问题。Meta 外形颇具迷惑性、显得十分可爱的 AI 助手 Muse，最近也惹恼了亚马逊，后者表示 Muse“持续访问”其网站违反了网站政策。另有报道称，xAI 的 Grok、Instinct 的 AI Agent 和 OpenAI 的 Dots 也无法使用亚马逊。xAI 所有者埃隆·马斯克回应称，也许他“应该创办一家与亚马逊竞争的公司”。机器人难以访问的地方越多，人们对它们究竟有多大用处的疑问也就越大。

“这会影响人们对 Anthropic、OpenAI 这类公司价值的认知吗？我认为绝对会。”AI 安全评估机构 EquiStamp 首席执行官 Chris Canal 告诉 The Verge，“其中一种说法是，它们将渗透我们生活的方方面面，能够完成我们在网上能做的任何事。如果有公司积极阻止这种情况发生，Agent 能做的有用事情就会减少。”

Meta 在本月早些时候发布的一篇文章中回应了网站封禁 Muse 的情况。该公司表示：“拒绝个人 Agent，就意味着拒绝其背后的客户。我们更愿意与企业合作解决根本顾虑，而不是看着它们失去这位客户。”Meta 没有选择与亚马逊对抗，而是与零售商建立了合作关系，包括沃尔玛、Gap、丝芙兰、百思买等，允许 Muse 在它们的网站购物。与此同时，Shopify 也向 AI Agent 开放了其店铺网络。

The Verge 联系了 OpenAI 和 Google，请它们就旗下 AI Agent 面临的障碍置评，但未立即收到回复。Instinct 拒绝置评。

即使网站没有直接封禁 AI Agent，Agent 仍可能与遍布网络的反机器人系统发生冲突。Reddit 上的报告显示，Google 正以存在“可疑活动”为由封禁部分使用 Muse 的账户；另一些用户则报告称，尽管沃尔玛与 Meta 有合作，他们在沃尔玛网站结账时仍遇到了问题。Canal 补充说：“有各种防护措施甚至不是为了阻止 Agent，而是为了阻止一般的机器人，或试图诈骗、入侵的程序。这些 AI Agent 触发了同样的防护措施。”

网络架构服务商 Cloudflare 也在帮助网站限制不受欢迎的 AI 访问者方面发挥了作用。Cloudflare 于 2025 年推出一键阻止 AI 爬虫功能后，又开始阻止那些同时为搜索索引和 AI 训练抓取网站内容的爬虫。这一举措是 Cloudflare 拯救网络、应对大量涌入的 AI 机器人的努力之一。这些机器人正在给互联网基础设施带来压力，并对电子邮件收件箱造成严重困扰；最终，在购买演唱会门票、进行预约或设法买到某些商品时，人们与机器人竞争可能会比现在更加困难。

Canal 表示，尽管这些封禁措施可能有助于将部分 AI Agent 和机器人挡在网站之外，但随着更多网站推出用于确认访客不是机器人的验证界面，它们最终会让网络变得更加“烦人”。“我们可能很快就会在一个普通的食品杂货购物网站上看到这样的验证：你不得不经过重重步骤，证明自己是正在使用电脑或手机的人类。”

Autonomous agents are the hottest thing in AI. OpenAI, Meta, Google, Instinct, and others promise their agents can scour the internet on your behalf, doing anything from booking a dinner reservation and cleaning out your inbox to buying new shoes. But what happens when the rest of the internet won’t play nice?

In recent weeks, users of services like Meta’s Muse, xAI’s Grok, OpenAI’s Dots, and Instinct have reported blocks preventing their AI agents from performing tasks across top websites. Yelp told TechCrunch that it only allows AI agents that pay for its data licensing program, while Delta Air Lines is preventing them from booking tickets on behalf of users. JPMorgan Chase and Charles Schwab have also confirmed that they’re blocking AI agents from accessing accounts due to security concerns. Some users say sites that previously worked with their AI agent are no longer accessible, including Cars.com and Amtrak, suggesting other companies could be quietly blocking them.

Amazon was already fighting off AI agents last year when it banned Perplexity’s agentic shopping feature and sued the AI startup, raising legal and practical questions about the future of agents on the web. At the time, Amazon claimed it “repeatedly requested” that Perplexity stop allowing its AI agents to shop on its website, adding that third-party companies that purchase items on behalf of customers “should operate openly and respect service provider decisions whether or not to participate.”

Perplexity responded by pointing out that Amazon doesn’t want AI agents roaming its platform because it won’t get as many human eyeballs in front of its ads — which is an actual issue for the ecommerce giant. The AI startup likened its AI agent to an extension of the user, arguing that Amazon “does not believe in your right to hire labor, to have an assistant or an employee acting on your behalf.” While a judge later ordered Perplexity to stop its AI agents from shopping on its website, an appeals court overturned this ruling in August. Amazon has since filed an amended complaint.

Even if websites aren’t banning AI agents outright, agents may still be clashing with anti-bot systems

This ongoing legal battle didn’t stop OpenAI, Meta, and Google from rolling out agents of their own. But they’re dealing with the same problems as Perplexity. Muse, Meta’s deceptively cute AI assistant, most recently faced the wrath of Amazon, which said its “continued access” violates its site policies. There are reports of xAI’s Grok, Instinct’s AI agent, and OpenAI’s Dots being unable to use Amazon as well. xAI owner Elon Musk responded by saying that maybe he “should start a competitor to Amazon.” The more places bots struggle to access, the greater the questions about how useful they are.

“Does this impact the perceived value of the Anthropics and the OpenAIs? I would say absolutely,” Chris Canal, the CEO of the AI safety evaluator EquiStamp, tells The Verge. “One of the claims is that they’re going to permeate every aspect of our lives and be able to do anything that we could do online. If there are companies that are actively working to make that not happen, there are just fewer useful things the agents can do.”

Meta responded to instances of websites blocking Muse in a post earlier this month. “Turning away a personal agent means turning away the customer behind it,” the company says. “We’d rather work with businesses to address the underlying concerns than see them lose that customer.” Instead of trying to fight Amazon, the company has partnered with retailers like Walmart, Gap, Sephora, Best Buy, and others, allowing Muse to shop on their sites. At the same time, Shopify has also opened its network of storefronts to AI agents.

The Verge reached out to OpenAI and Google with requests for comments on the roadblocks their AI agents are facing but didn’t immediately hear back. Instinct declined to comment.

Even if websites aren’t banning AI agents outright, agents may still be clashing with anti-bot systems, which have become ubiquitous across the web. Reports on Reddit suggest that Google is blocking some accounts that use Muse due to “suspicious activity,” while others have reported issues checking out on Walmart despite its Meta partnership. “There are all kinds of things that are set up not even to block agents, but to block in general bots or programs that are trying to scam or hack,” Canal adds. “These AI agents trigger those same safeguards.”

The web architecture provider Cloudflare has also played a role in helping sites clamp down on unwanted AI visitors. After introducing a one-click block for AI crawlers in 2025, Cloudflare began blocking crawlers that simultaneously scrape websites for both search indexing and AI training. The move is part of Cloudflare’s efforts to save the web from an influx of AI bots, which is putting a strain on internet infrastructure and wreaking havoc on email inboxes, and which could eventually make it even harder than it already is to compete against bots when purchasing concert tickets, booking reservations, or trying to get ahold of certain products.

While these blocks may help keep some AI agents and bots out of a website, Canal says they will ultimately make the web more “annoying” to use as more sites roll out interfaces to confirm you’re not a robot. “We could see them on a simple grocery shopping website soon, where you’re having to jump through a bunch of hoops to prove that you’re a human using the computer or your phone.”

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