Interest is not the same as sales
Executives from roughly 50 companies told WIRED that they do not expect AI agents to reshape business quickly. Many think the technology could eventually benefit companies, despite Wall Street’s concern that shopping agents could weaken brand loyalty, trigger price competition and reduce profits.
The current numbers are modest:
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said more than 25 percent of Muse users had asked it for shopping help, more than for any other task. He said that exceeded the company’s expectations. But the figure measures interest, not purchases: it does not show what people bought or how often they completed a transaction.
Meta pointed to partnerships with 10 retailers, including Walmart, Best Buy and Gap, intended to make shopping through Muse easier. Many of those retailers last reported financial results before Muse launched and have not yet disclosed related figures.
Websites are the early battleground
Some companies are already changing their online systems, despite limited use. Chipotle Chief Digital Officer Arlie Sisson said agents had struggled to place orders, including when loyalty discounts failed or customers tried to order after closing. Since Muse launched, orders through agents have risen by a few percent. Chipotle is simplifying its website code so agents can navigate it and place orders for users.
Costco and Extra Space Storage said sales originating from AI chatbots such as Gemini and ChatGPT are growing quickly. They credit optimization of online content for those tools and plan to apply the same approach to agents.
DoorDash is also discussing the issue. Its CEO and Meta board member Tony Xu called the current enthusiasm around agents possibly a “fallacy.”
The shift in company strategy is already visible. Amazon blocked Muse last month, saying users would prefer its own Alexa assistant for shopping. This week, it acknowledged that it expects to work with outside agents as well. Insurance marketplace Insurify also blocked Muse, then reversed course this week and introduced technology to help agents show accurate offers.
The costs companies have not settled
Meta plans to charge companies for transactions made through Muse. Zuckerberg suggested that this revenue could eventually exceed Meta’s large advertising business. InterContinental Hotels CEO Elie Maalouf said he is negotiating cautiously with Meta and that the two sides have not decided what a partnership might involve.
Security is another concern. This week, Bank of America became the latest major bank to warn customers about the risks of giving AI assistants their login details. Chief Customer Officer Ashley Ross wrote in an email that users who share their credentials are responsible for actions taken with them.
Companies also worry that agents could make price comparisons easier and squeeze margins. Many executives reject that outcome, arguing that product quality, service and brand trust will still shape purchases even if customers take a less direct role.
I think the more revealing signal is not the current volume of agent orders, but how quickly companies are preparing for a channel that has yet to prove its value. The open question is who will pay for that preparation—and whether the transactions eventually justify the cost.
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