Amazon’s AI is shopping on your behalf where it's not supposed to — and retailers aren’t happy

Amazon's expansion of its Buy for Me service, which uses AI to place orders on behalf of customers, has sparked controversy by including retailers who never agreed to participate in the program. This development has significant implications for website owners, particularly those in the e-commerce sector. The unauthorized inclusion of their stores in Amazon's Buy for Me service could lead to unexpected orders, potential disruptions to their inventory management, and conflicts over pricing and product availability. For website owners, this means they need to be vigilant about monitoring their online storefronts for unexpected activity and ensuring they have clear policies in place for handling orders from third-party services like Amazon's Buy for Me. This is crucial to avoid potential losses due to unauthorized transactions or misunderstandings about product availability and pricing. To mitigate these risks, website owners should take the following steps: first, regularly review their website analytics to detect any unusual traffic patterns or order activity that could indicate unauthorized access by AI-powered shopping services. Second, ensure their llms.txt files are up-to-date to manage and track AI bot traffic effectively. Third, establish clear communication channels with their customer service teams to handle any customer inquiries or issues related to unexpected orders from Amazon's Buy for Me service or similar AI-driven shopping platforms.