"So what, exactly, is the DoorDash problem? Briefly, it's what happens when an AI interface gets between a service provider, like DoorDash, and you, who might send an AI to go order a sandwich from the internet instead of using apps and websites yourself. That would mean things like user reviews, ads, loyalty programs, upsells, and partnerships would all go away - AI agents don't care about those things, after all, and DoorDash would just become a commodity provider of sandwiches and lose out on all additional kinds of money you can make when real people open your app or visit your website."
"I've been asking the CEOs of these companies about the DoorDash problem on Decoder for months now, because I've been predicting that eventually one of them is going to decide it doesn't want to give up its customers to AI and try to block agents entirely. Recently, my prediction came true - but it wasn't a small player that decided to push back against AI; it was one of the biggest players of all. Earlier this month, Amazon sued Perplexity to try and prevent its AI powered Comet browser from shopping on Amazon.com, a move Perplexity has characterized as "bullying.""
AI interfaces that act as autonomous agents can interpose between users and service platforms and place transactions on users' behalf. Such interposition can bypass user-facing features like reviews, ads, loyalty programs, upsells, and partnerships, reducing platforms to commodity providers. Companies that depend on direct user engagement risk losing ancillary revenue, customer relationships, and control over economic experiences. The challenge applies broadly across app-era services including food delivery, ride-hailing, short-term rentals, and marketplaces. Competitive and legal conflicts have already begun, exemplified by a major e-commerce company suing an AI browser to limit automated shopping access.
Read at The Verge
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