An AI agent named Instinct caused a venture capitalist to be banned from the reservation platform Resy after the tool triggered spam filters with excessive automated API requests.

Key Points

• JC Bahr-de Stefano, a principal at Better Tomorrow Ventures, used the AI tool Instinct to attempt to secure a reservation at 4 Charles Prime Rib.
• The AI agent sent approximately 200 API requests per hour to Resy, including checks every 0.4 seconds during peak reservation windows.
• Resy, owned by American Express, temporarily suspended Bahr-de Stefano’s account for violating terms of service regarding unapproved automated activity.
• The platform reinstated the account but issued a formal warning that repeat violations could result in a permanent ban from both Resy and American Express services.
• Resy currently prohibits third-party bots but supports official integrations with AI services like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude.

Why it Matters

This incident highlights the growing friction between autonomous AI agents and existing web security protocols designed to prevent bot-driven abuse. As users increasingly delegate tasks to AI, platforms must navigate the challenge of distinguishing between helpful personal assistants and malicious automated traffic.