Meta’s Muse puts Amazon’s ad model in focus

Seeking Alpha characterized Muse as a potential threat to Amazon’s online-shopping dominance and nearly $70 billion advertising business.[1] The concern is that AI agents could compare prices and choose products for shoppers, weakening the value of sponsored placements and challenging Amazon’s position as the place shoppers begin their search.[1] Meta rolled out Muse in September, The Wall Street Journal reported.[2] The Journal described it as an animated personal shopper that can also book travel and make budgets.[2] For commerce teams, the question is how product discovery and ad placement might change if shoppers delegate more decisions to agents.

Amazon’s advertising revenue exceeded $68 billion across 2025, Marketing Dive reported, while Seeking Alpha described the business as nearly $70 billion.[4][1] Marketing Dive said sponsored product listings on Amazon’s marketplace still fuel most of its ad business.[4] The same outlet reported that ad sales revenue rose 22% year over year to $21.3 billion for a quarter that included the critical holiday shopping window.[4] Against that backdrop, Amazon says AI agents have not meaningfully affected its advertising business, according to Seeking Alpha.[1] These figures offer scale, but the evidence does not establish that Muse has reduced Amazon’s ad revenue.

The Verge reported that Amazon blocked Muse from shopping on its platform, and said Amazon’s terms treat continued access by an unauthorized AI agent as a violation of its Conditions of Use.[3] The Verge, citing GeekWire, reported that Meta had not notified Amazon that Muse would access its store.[3] Amazon raised privacy and security concerns, saying Muse did not identify itself while browsing and appeared to capture customer credentials.[3] Meta said Muse cannot see users’ secure login details or card payment information.[3] The disagreement leaves access, disclosure and data handling as practical issues for teams assessing agent-led shopping.

Amazon is developing agent-driven commerce through Shop Direct and Buy For Me, according to Seeking Alpha.[1] The report also said Amazon’s Alexa for Shopping has more than 400 million users.[1] It identified the company’s fulfillment infrastructure, customer relationships and delivery capabilities as competitive advantages.[1] The Verge reported that it successfully used Muse to buy tank tops from Amazon while other products remained in the basket.[3] That account sits alongside the reported platform block; the evidence does not explain how the two situations relate. For businesses, evaluating agent commerce should include access rules as well as the shopping experience.