United won’t let your AI agent book your flight

United Airlines has decided not to allow personal AI assistants to book tickets on its platform, citing privacy and regulatory concerns. While the airline has not seen many attempts by customers to use AI agents for bookings, it worries that such agents could expose sensitive customer information, make unintended purchases, or circumvent federal rules requiring airlines to share certain information with customers, such as attestations that bags contain no explosives. AI agents can still display United flights but cannot complete transactions. United CEO Scott Kirby said, "To be honest, I don’t want to create another middleman." Other companies like eBay and several major banks have also restricted AI agents. United may reconsider as the technology advances but emphasizes the need for traveler protections first.

(Source：The Verge)