Banks are now blocking AI agents: JPMorgan and Schwab shut the door on Muse, Grok, and Dots

#What happened

In recent weeks, users of Meta's Muse, xAI's Grok, OpenAI's Dots, and Instinct have reported being blocked from completing tasks across major websites, according to a new report from The Verge. Yelp told TechCrunch it only allows AI agents that pay for its data licensing program. Delta Air Lines is preventing agents from booking tickets on behalf of travelers. And banking giants JPMorgan Chase and Charles Schwab have confirmed they are blocking AI agents from accessing customer accounts entirely, citing data protection and security concerns.

#Who's blocking what

Some sites reversed course quietly: users say Cars.com and Amtrak used to work with their AI assistants and no longer do, without either company confirming it is deliberate policy. Amazon has fought this battle the longest, having banned Perplexity's agentic shopping feature last year and sued the startup; a judge initially ordered Perplexity to comply, an appeals court overturned that ruling in August, and Amazon has since filed an amended complaint. Amazon also told Meta that Muse's continued access to its site violates its policies.

#Why it matters

Meta framed the issue as lost revenue, saying this month: "Turning away a personal agent means turning away the customer behind it." It would rather strike deals with businesses than fight them. The trend cuts at the central promise of agents: as AI safety evaluator EquiStamp's CEO Chris Canal told The Verge, the claim is that agents "permeate every aspect of our lives," but if companies actively prevent that, agents simply do fewer useful things. One counter-trend: Shopify has opened its network of online stores to AI agents.

Verified 2026-10-18.