This VC used AI to try to snag a restaurant reservation. Resy wasn't having it (www.businessinsider.com)

A venture capitalist, JC Bahr-de Stefano, attempted to secure a reservation at a popular New York steakhouse using an AI tool called Instinct, but faced an unexpected setback when his account on Resy was temporarily suspended. The AI agent was designed to check for table availability more frequently than a human could, but it overstepped by sending around 200 API requests per hour, triggering Resy's anti-bot mechanisms. This incident highlights the challenges of integrating AI tools into platforms that are not equipped to distinguish legitimate automated assistance from malicious bot activity. Bahr-de Stefano's experience underscores the fine line that exists when deploying AI agents in competitive environments. While the technology can be effective in other use cases, such as booking medical appointments, it raises concerns regarding platform integrity and user experience. Resy explicitly prohibits unauthorized third-party bots, emphasizing the need for service providers to differentiate between helpful AI applications and disruptive automated scripts. Moving forward, Bahr-de Stefano plans to implement more cautious parameters for Instinct to avoid such issues, advocating for improved systems within reservation services to differentiate between legitimate bots and those that might compromise fairness for all users.