United Airlines announced that it is banning personal AI agents from booking flights on Nov. 11 to protect customer data and comply with Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Transportation rules.
In a public statement, United cited concern that personal agents can "expose sensitive information, and actions taken by these tools may result in unintended purchases, account changes, or use of MileagePlus miles."
AI personal agents have been increasing in popularity over the past few months, used to take actions on a user’s behalf such as scheduling a meeting or making a purchase. Meta’s Muse agent surpassed 10 million users in October, less than two months after it was released.
Agents are known to sometimes take actions they aren't supposed
to, such as making an unauthorized purchase. While United is the first airline to announce a ban, other industries have already taken similar measures. Some banks moved to restrict agents access in October and Amazon blocked agents from accessing its website in September.
"Automated AI actions have the potential to violate FAA and DOT regulations — as an example, flight check-in requires human acknowledgment that bags do not contain banned substances like explosives," according to the United statement.
The FAA and DOT did not respond immediately to a request for comment from USA TODAY.
The ban is on the United Airlines platform as well as travel agencies and aggregators. Agents can still show United flight options and prices, but they can't directly purchase on its website.
In its statement, United said it will continue to evaluate how "these tools interact with our services, with a focus on protecting our customers."
Greta Reich covers the artificial intelligence industry for USA TODAY through a fellowship from the Tarbell Center for AI Journalism. Funders do not provide editorial input.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: United Airlines bans personal AI agents from booking flights
