New Delhi, Oct. 8 -- Amazon's restrictions on artificial intelligence (AI) shopping agents could create an opening for startups to build a new rival to the e-commerce giant, as consumers increasingly look towards autonomous AI tools to search for and purchase products, Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham said.

In a series of posts on X on Thursday, Graham argued that Amazon's restrictions could ultimately work in favour of competitors by creating demand for platforms that allow consumers to use independent AI agents for shopping.

"Amazon banning agents is the first opportunity I've seen since Amazon was founded for a startup to create an Amazon competitor," Graham said. "People will want agents to buy stuff for them. It will be one of t...