After blocking Muse, Amazon now lets users text Alexa to help them shop

Amazon's new text-based Alexa AI agent offers customers a comprehensive shopping experience through natural language interaction. Users can search for items, add them to carts, and complete purchases by texting the agent. The system is designed to manage lists, track prices, compare products, and check order statuses, further allowing users to share images of items for similar listings.

This initiative comes shortly after Amazon blocked Meta’s Muse, another AI agent, from querying its site. The timing suggests Amazon aims to directly control the emerging avenue of AI-driven shopping interactions. By developing its own proprietary agent, Amazon maintains direct oversight of the customer journey, data collection, and the overall shopping experience within its platform.

The strategy reflects a broader trend among major platforms to build their own AI agents as the market for consumer-focused AI services expands. Delivery company DoorDash, for instance, has also shifted its focus to developing its own text-based agent after observing limited third-party agent usage. This emphasis on proprietary solutions allows companies to integrate AI capabilities directly into their core services and business models.