Amazon $AMZN vs. Meta $META: is the battle for AI shopping about to begin?

Meta recently introduced Muse, its new personal AI agent.

But watch out — we're not just talking about a chatbot that answers your questions.

Muse can actually perform tasks on behalf of the user. It can open a browser, fill out forms, book travel, send emails, or find a specific product and buy it for you. Before making a purchase, it will of course ask for the user's consent.

And this is where things get really interesting.

👉 Amazon has in fact blocked Muse on Amazon.com.

Amazon claims that Meta did not announce in advance that its agent would browse Amazon and shop there on behalf of customers. Amazon also objected that Muse did not properly identify itself as an AI agent when visiting the site, and also pointed to security and handling of login credentials.

But in my opinion, there's an even bigger problem behind it.

💰 ADVERTISING.

Amazon has long ceased to be just an e-shop.

In the second quarter of 2026 alone, Amazon earned $19.8 billion in advertising, representing year-over-year growth of 26%. Advertising thus accounted for nearly 10% of Amazon's total revenue, which reached $200.6 billion for the quarter.

And a large part of this business works precisely because you go directly to Amazon and start searching for something.

For example, you type:

"Best TVs under CZK 10,000."

Amazon shows you results and among them also sponsored products, for which individual sellers pay for their display or click.

Amazon has even stated that Sponsored Products are its largest advertising product.

And now imagine the future with an AI agent.

Instead of opening Amazon, browsing ten different TVs and clicking on sponsored offers, you simply tell Muse:

👉 "Find me the best TV under CZK 10,000 in terms of price/performance and buy it."

Muse will search the internet, compare individual offers and present you, say, one best product.

And you may not have visited Amazon at all.

Amazon could thus lose part of its advertising impressions, clicks on Sponsored Products, and above all control over which product the customer ultimately sees and buys.

And other numbers show how important this is for Amazon.

Amazon claims that people who click on its AI Sponsored Prompt then purchase 48% more often and spend on average 21% more than customers who do not click on it.

So Amazon knows very well how valuable the moment is when a customer chooses a product directly inside its ecosystem.

And it's not just advertising.

Amazon generated another $46.8 billion in the second quarter from services for third-party sellers — that is, for example, commissions, fulfillment and other fees.

If an AI agent were to become the main intermediary between the customer and the online store, it could gradually decide not only what we buy, but also WHERE we buy it.

And that, in my opinion, is the real battle that is starting here. 👇

🤖 Who will own the customer in the era of AI agents?

Amazon, which wants you to search for products directly on its platform?

Or Meta, which wants you to give everything to Muse and have it search the entire internet for you?

And Meta is certainly not slowing down.

Muse is already gaining access to the entire Shopify catalog, and Meta has announced integrations with, for example, Walmart, Best Buy, Sephora, Wayfair, PayPal or Shop Pay.

So while Amazon is closing the door to Muse, other merchants are starting to open it.

📌 And this, in my opinion, may be one of the most interesting battles of the coming years.

It's not just about who creates the best AI.

It's about who will stand between the customer and their wallet.

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