A United Airlines announced this Wednesday (11) that it will restrict access by unauthorized personal AI agents to its digital systems and ticket distribution channels. The company justifies the decision with risks to passenger data security, unwanted operations and possible violations of airline industry rules.
The restrictions cover both direct access to the company's platforms and indirect access through travel agencies and aggregators. To implement the measure, United is updating its booking, ticketing and distribution policies.
The target is external assistants capable of performing tasks on behalf of consumers, such as making purchases or modifying bookings. The decision does not represent a general ban on artificial intelligence in the company's services, but establishes limits for third-party tools that do not have authorization.
Account security and check-in are among the concerns
In an official statement, United warned that sharing credentials with AI assistants can expose confidential information and cause unintended purchases, account changes or misuse of MileagePlus miles.
The company also pointed to possible conflicts with requirements from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the United States Department of Transportation (DOT). One of the examples presented involves check-in, a procedure that requires the passenger to provide human confirmation that their baggage does not contain prohibited materials, such as explosives.
This requirement represents a limitation for autonomous systems that try to perform all stages of a trip without user intervention.
The company said it will update its Digital Trust Center, an information center on digital security, to clarify the new restrictions, provide guidance on account protection and indicate how to seek assistance if an agent performs any unwanted operation.
United did not detail which specific tools will be affected, how the blocking will occur or when all the restrictions will take effect. The company said it will continue evaluating the interaction of AI assistants with its services as the technology evolves.
