The RealReal, a prominent online marketplace for secondhand luxury goods, has announced an update to its bot defense systems. The company is taking these measures to prevent AI agents from interfering with the platform’s shopping experience, specifically regarding its item reservation feature.

Under the current system, when a user adds an item to their shopping cart, it is placed "on hold" for 20 minutes, making it unavailable for other customers to purchase during that window. Recent reports demonstrated that AI agents could be programmed to continuously re-add items to a cart, effectively keeping them in a perpetual state of reservation and preventing actual customers from completing a purchase. By automating this process, an agent could theoretically "hog" specific designer pieces, preventing them from ever reaching the open market.

The Verge reported that they were able to successfully use Meta’s Muse AI to automate this behavior, prompting the retailer to respond with technical updates to its site security. While the company has not provided specific details on the mechanics of the new defense, the update is intended to distinguish between human shoppers and automated scripts. The intervention highlights a growing tension between e-commerce platforms and the rise of autonomous AI agents capable of performing complex tasks like inventory management or, in this case, disruptive shopping behaviors. The RealReal’s decision to prioritize human access over automated interaction reflects a broader industry trend of retailers attempting to maintain fair market conditions as AI technology becomes more accessible to the general public.