The RealReal won’t let AI agents hog designer clothing

The RealReal, a secondhand luxury fashion consignment retailer, has updated its bot defense system to prevent AI agents like Meta's Muse from exploiting its item reserve system. The system, which holds items for 20 minutes after being placed in a cart, was being continuously re-added to carts by AI agents, preventing other shoppers from purchasing products for hours. The update makes it harder for AI agents to log in, add items to cart, and check out. Agents will still be able to surface listings and direct users to product pages. The RealReal will continue to strengthen protections as AI-powered online shopping evolves.