Walmart Enables AI Shopping Agents While Amazon Restricts Them

TechCrunch reports diverging approaches to AI shopping: Walmart has launched Agent Gateway so approved agents can search its inventory and buy on customers' behalf, while Amazon has begun blocking agents from making purchases. Walmart says its Agent Profiles, due in November 2026, will let shoppers approve each purchase or set spending limits. The company says agents cannot access customers' payment information and may access only the data needed for a task.