Amazon sends legal threats to Perplexity over agentic browsing
- ByStartupStory | November 5, 2025
Amazon Sends Legal Threats to Perplexity Over Agentic Browsing Feature
Amazon has initiated legal action against Perplexity AI, demanding that the startup discontinue the use of its AI-powered shopping assistant, Comet, on Amazon’s platform. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for Northern California, alleges that Perplexity’s agentic browsing capability covertly accesses customer accounts and disguises automated purchases as human activity, violating Amazon’s terms of service and potentially compromising customer data security.
Amazon contends that Perplexity’s Comet AI agent obscures its automated actions within the Amazon store and continues such conduct despite repeated warnings to cease. The e-commerce giant argues that such unauthorized access and masking behavior undermines the tailored shopping experience Amazon has developed and could diminish consumer trust.
Perplexity, a fast-growing AI company known for integrating AI agents into browsing, has dismissed Amazon’s claims as an attempt to stifle competition and innovation. The startup maintains that user credentials remain stored locally and that its AI assistants act on behalf of human users, implying that its activities have users’ authorization.
In response to the legal threat, Perplexity published a blog titled “Bullying is Not Innovation,” accusing Amazon of using legal intimidation to suppress AI innovation and limit consumer choice. Perplexity expressed willingness to collaborate with Amazon to find a mutually beneficial solution but firmly opposed the forced blocking of its AI tools.
This dispute highlights the emerging conflicts around the regulation of AI agents interacting autonomously with commercial websites, with broader implications for the future of AI-driven browsing and e-commerce automation.
In summary, Amazon’s legal move against Perplexity over its AI shopping agent raises critical questions about AI autonomy, user consent, and platform control in the evolving digital marketplace, marking a potentially pivotal moment in the regulation of agentic AI technologies.
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