Why is Amazon blocking ChatGPT's shopping tools?

Amazon is blocking ChatGPT to protect its advertising revenue and encourage users to utilize its own AI shopping assistants like Rufus.

Can ChatGPT still find products on Amazon?

No, Amazon has implemented new rules that prevent ChatGPT's AI crawlers from accessing its site, making product searches and direct linking impossible.

Will Amazon partner with AI shopping agents in the future?

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has mentioned ongoing conversations with third-party shopping agents, indicating a possibility for future partnerships.

Home / Technology / Amazon Blocks ChatGPT Shopping Tools

Amazon Blocks ChatGPT Shopping Tools

2 Dec

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Summary

Amazon now restricts ChatGPT's web crawlers from its site.
This prevents AI from comparing products or linking to Amazon.
Amazon aims to protect advertising revenue and promote its own AI.

Amazon has begun actively blocking OpenAI's ChatGPT from accessing its retail platform, preventing the AI's shopping tools from functioning as intended. New rules in Amazon's robots.txt file explicitly disallow ChatGPT's web crawlers, including specific bots like ChatGPT-User and OAI-SearchBot, from crawling the site. This action follows earlier restrictions that prevented ChatGPT from using Amazon's data for AI model training.

The restrictions mean that features like ChatGPT's shopping research agent and Instant Research tool can no longer effectively find or facilitate purchases from Amazon. When tested, the AI struggled to provide accurate product links, often directing users to alternative retailers like Walmart or eBay instead. This move by Amazon is seen as a protectionist measure for its substantial advertising business, which relies on users browsing the site directly.

Amazon is prioritizing its own AI initiatives, such as the Rufus AI bot, which has shown a significant boost in sales for customers who use it. While blocking third-party AI shoppers, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has indicated openness to future partnerships with such agents, suggesting ongoing discussions to find mutually beneficial arrangements.