Some of the biggest names in banking and retail are blocking AI agents that shop and run errands for people, CNBC and The Verge report.

JPMorgan Chase, Charles Schwab, Amazon, Neiman Marcus and Kohl's have moved to block personal agents such as Meta's Muse, CNBC reports. People use these agents to find better savings rates, hunt for deals and cancel subscriptions.

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has said the bank does not let outside agents into customer accounts, calling it "too risky," The Verge reported on October 22.

Amazon asked Meta to remove Amazon from Muse. "Third-party applications that offer to make purchases on behalf of customers from other businesses should operate openly and respect service provider decisions," an Amazon spokesperson said.

Walmart is taking the other path. It said last week it will let customers' AI agents shop on its site and see the same prices people see, CNBC reports.

An audit of 51 large American retailers found that only 11 had a clear policy on AI agents, CNBC reports. Many others block agents by accident, through older rules meant for web scrapers.

Even without hard blocks, agents can be hit or miss. In tests by a Verge reporter in October, Muse was stopped by Target's bot check one day but got through the next.

A Visa risk official says the fraud risks from agents are "very real," from fake agents that steal card details to real ones that act in ways users never meant, CNBC reports.

What we know: Several big firms block outside AI agents.
What we don't: Whether new laws will set rules for them.