AI agents may give the companies that already control major online gateways new influence over what people buy, read and do, argues a new report from the Open Markets Institute. Its proposed response ranges from easier switching and access for rival agents to, in some cases, separating cloud businesses from AI.
Watch Desk analysis
What happened
The 71-page report, Same Gatekeepers, New Gateway, names Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Meta as companies well placed to carry existing advantages in cloud computing, platforms and distribution into the market for AI agents. These assistants can select products, complete purchases, book travel and handle messages on a user’s behalf.
Open Markets argues that control of where agents reach users, access to personal data and influence over technical and commerce standards could give established firms an edge. It points to examples including Meta’s Muse integrations, Google’s AI search and commerce products, and Microsoft’s Copilot integration with its productivity software. The institute characterises some practices as anti-competitive; the report does not establish that they are unlawful in the agent market.
The group proposes duties to act in users’ interests, access for competing agents, easier switching and, in some cases, separation of cloud businesses from AI. Those are advocacy recommendations, not enacted rules. The report also says consumer lock-in to particular assistants remains low for now, and presents no new data of its own.
Why it matters
A search engine can present a shortlist; an agent may make the choice. If one company controls the assistant, the route to users and the services it relies on, questions about which products get recommended become questions about market power, not just interface design.
For merchants and publishers, the stakes include whether they can reach customers through agents on fair terms. For users, it is whether personal preferences and conversation histories make changing assistants difficult. Open Markets’ account is a warning about where the market could go, not proof that the forecast will come true.
Our read
The report is at its strongest when it asks who controls distribution, standards and switching, rather than treating the model as the whole product. That is a useful lens for a market where an assistant can quietly become the shop window, the salesperson and the till. But its sharper claims are the institute’s interpretation, and its proposed remedies deserve scrutiny alongside the risks it identifies.
What to watch
- Whether regulators propose rules for agent interoperability, switching or access to users.
- How commerce protocols set terms for merchants and competing agents.
- Whether evidence of consumer lock-in grows as assistants gain more integrations.
- Whether companies respond to the report’s specific competition concerns.
Discussion spark: Should AI agents face interoperability and switching rules before users become locked in, or would early regulation freeze a market that has barely formed?
Sources and evidence
- Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta could dominate AI agents, Open Markets warns – PPC Land (9 November 2026, 20:38 UTC)
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