The news: Shopify will not allow agents and other bots to purchase on users’ behalf without “final human review,” the company said in an update to the code used by merchants to operate their online storefronts. The change was first reported by The Information.

Why it matters: Like Amazon, Shopify is trying to figure out how best to protect its business from the incursion of AI agents, while recognizing that such tools could soon become mainstream. And also like Amazon, it is trying to strike a middle ground: While Shopify’s new rules explicitly ban automated scraping, “buy-for-me” agents, and any other “end-to-end flow” that can facilitate purchases without a human’s approval, they also note that “legitimate integrators” can incorporate the company’s checkout directly into their apps and chatbots.

Shopify’s protectiveness is understandable. Its checkout solution, alongside other merchant services, accounted for roughly three-quarters of its revenues in 2024. Growing use of AI agents for shopping could diminish demand for Shopify’s payment solutions if more users transact through platforms like Perplexity and ChatGPT.

Our take: While AI agents aren’t yet reliable enough to be given free rein over purchase decisions, companies have to be prepared for a future where they soon will be. At the same time, businesses have to decide whether they are comfortable giving agents unfettered access to their properties—and if not, what kinds of guardrails they can put in place to protect their interests without hindering shoppers who choose to use AI tools.

Go further: Read our report on AI Agents and the Consumer Journey.

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