Major tech companies face barriers in deploying their AI bots on Amazon's platform due to a recent blockade, as the commerce giant seeks to maintain its competitive edge.

In the dynamic world of e-commerce, Amazon has taken a significant step by updating its robots.txt file to block AI-related crawlers from several technology firms, including OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic. This move comes amidst a growing trend and regulatory concerns surrounding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in online shopping and advertising.

The updated code is intended to prevent these companies from scraping data from Amazon's online marketplace, a crucial source of revenue for the tech giant. Amazon generates revenue through sponsored product listings, display advertisements, and video content across its ecosystem, with a reported $56 billion advertising business built around shoppers browsing its marketplace.

The timeline of these developments includes the introduction of GPTBot by OpenAI on August 7, 2023, and the publication of analysis of "agentic commerce" fundamental flaws by Eric Seufert on August 29, 2025. McKinsey identified agentic AI as the top trend reshaping marketing in July 2025, representing a shift toward autonomous systems that can independently manage complex workflows.

Amazon's actions are aimed at protecting its advertising business and developing its own AI shopping tools like Rufus chatbot and "buy-for-me" features. The battle over AI access to e-commerce data reflects deeper questions about the future of online shopping and advertising.

Interestingly, Amazon's primary competitor, Shopify, has taken a different approach. Instead of outright blocking specific companies, Shopify has introduced warning language to merchants' robots.txt files.

The latest updates build on restrictions implemented at least a month earlier, targeting other AI companies' crawlers. The update reflects concerns about losing customer relationships to intermediary services that could reduce the platform's ability to collect first-party data and monetize customer interactions through advertising and personalized experiences.

The battle over AI access to e-commerce data is not just about control over data but also about accountability. US Attorneys General from 44 jurisdictions recently warned artificial intelligence companies about accountability for exploitation of children through predatory AI products, demonstrating growing governmental oversight of AI development practices.

As the use of AI in e-commerce continues to evolve, it's clear that companies like Amazon are taking proactive steps to safeguard their interests while navigating the complex landscape of AI regulations and trends. The future of online shopping and advertising is undoubtedly exciting, and it will be interesting to see how these developments unfold.

Major tech companies face barriers in deploying their AI bots on Amazon's platform due to a recent blockade, as the commerce giant seeks to maintain its competitive edge.