United bans AI agents from booking flights on behalf of travelers

United Airlines said on Wednesday that it is banning artificial intelligence agents from making flight reservations on behalf of travelers, citing security risks and the possibility that such actions could violate federal rules.Many consumers are turning to AI agents such as Meta's Muse and OpenAI's dots to complete tasks ranging from researching products and tracking down deals to making purchases.To make an airline booking, an AI agent requires access to a customer's personal information, including credentials like payment information. United has a problem with that, saying that "sharing account credentials with personal, third-party, AI assistants can expose sensitive information, and actions taken by these tools may result in unintended purchases,

account changes, or use of MileagePlus miles."The carrier also said that using an AI agent to, for example, check in for a flight could violate federal regulations, including rules requiring travelers to verify in person that their luggage does not contain banned substances."As a result, United is taking steps to restrict access — directly within our digital platforms and indirectly via travel agencies and aggregators — to prohibit use by unauthorized, third-party personal AI agents or assistants," said the airline, which is updating its booking and ticketing policies to reflect the new rule.United's new policy suggests the company wants to retain control over the customer booking process, said Henry Harteveldt,