If my browser is downloading some data, then what’s the difference if my AI agent is doing the same? I’ll even tell you it’s my browser. Who are you to say what qualifies as a browser?

This analogy is completely off. A closer analogy is someone calls you on your phone letting you know they're here. You were expecting them, so you say "come on in." But, they were at the back door instead of the front door. I don't think anyone would consider that your friend did something illegal.

There is a carve out if the data is "publicly available": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HiQ_Labs_v._LinkedIn

If I open the Safeway app and it fetches what is available in a given store without any authentication and everyone sees the same data, that could possibly fall under that exemption.