The Future of AI Browser Automation

Most of us are aware that many websites have a no-go policy on any kind of automation - it's part of their ToS. If the use of browser AI agents becomes commonplace, I can see a surge in anti-bot and anti-automation tech.

So, is the future of AI agents browser automation? We are not convinced.

It's not just that it's less efficient than a good old API, but it's also not what it was made for. Our money is on agents using interfaces exposed via APIs, green-lighted by security and compliance.

Besides, each website is a world of its own, and every company has to decide if this kind of usage sits well with them. But bear in mind, this approach could fly in the face of a lot of current marketing and e-commerce practices. Website owners could end up unable to advertise, cross-sell, or accurately track user analytics. Noe, we are not the kind of organisation to defend these practices, but If it hits the bottom line, companies will probably take steps to curb this.

And this isn't some new issue. Scraping has been a headache long before AI came into the picture, and it's plausible that big brands might push back against companies like OpenAI if they decide this kind of behaviour is a no-go.