IT Home On November 12, tech media The Verge published a post today (November 12) stating that United Airlines said, due to privacy and regulatory reasons, individuals are not allowed to use AI assistants to buy tickets on their behalf. AI can still display United Airlines flights to users, but it cannot complete transactions on their behalf.
According to a blog post cited by IT Home, United Airlines is concerned that the AI agent capable of operating websites on its behalf could leak customer information, or place orders without accurately understanding the user’s intentions. Additionally, aviation services involve information that must be disclosed to passengers and related confirmation procedures, such as verifying that luggage contains no explosives; using an AI to operate these processes may lead to compliance issues.
There are also concerns regarding the additional intermediary steps in transactions behind this decision. According to the Wall Street Journal, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said at an event on Tuesday: “To be honest, I don’t want to add another intermediary.”
United Airlines is not the only company that imposes restrictions on AI agents. The Verge notes that eBay seems to have stopped such agents from browsing websites, and several large banks have also implemented limitations. The media believes that these barriers may reduce the real utility of personal AI assistants in moving from “providing advice” to “handling transactions”.