AI agents get better, but businesses see barely any agent orders (opens the source in a new tab)
- Wired reports Meta says over 10 million people in the US and Canada have activated its Muse agent, with shopping the top task. Yet most firms on recent earnings calls, from DoorDash to Hilton, saw little agent activity.
- Some are preparing anyway: Chipotle is fixing its site so agents can check out, and Meta plans a fee on agent sales. Amazon softened its stance after blocking Muse; Insurify reversed its block.
- In a separate Wired test of six agents over a day, OpenAI's Dots scored best and Muse came a close second as the easiest to set up. All still made mistakes.
Why it matters If agents end up choosing what to buy, brands lose the shelf and may pay a toll to whoever owns the agent. The time to adapt is before volumes grow.
Other side Low numbers may say more about early days than demand, and one reporter's day of tests is a small sample. Price-comparing agents could also help shoppers more than they hurt sellers.