Amazon issued a authorized demand to Perplexity on November 4, 2025, requiring the synthetic intelligence startup to forestall Comet browser customers from making purchases by means of Amazon’s platform. The e-commerce large characterised Perplexity’s AI agent as working with out transparency and degrading the client expertise, whereas Perplexity accused Amazon of utilizing authorized intimidation to dam innovation.

The confrontation marks Amazon’s first authorized motion in opposition to an AI firm over autonomous procuring brokers. According to Perplexity’s November 4 blog post, Amazon despatched what the startup described as “an aggressive authorized menace” demanding that Comet customers be blocked from Amazon procuring performance. The dispute facilities on whether or not third-party AI assistants ought to entry e-commerce platforms to execute purchases on behalf of customers.

Comet Assistant allows customers to request product searches and full purchases on Amazon when logged into their accounts. Credentials stay saved domestically on consumer units somewhat than on Perplexity’s servers, in response to the corporate’s technical specs. Customers can ask the AI to search out particular objects, examine choices, and execute transactions with out navigating Amazon’s interface instantly.

Amazon published its own statement on November 4 arguing that third-party procuring brokers should “function overtly and respect service supplier choices” on whether or not to take part in such methods. The corporate characterised Perplexity as evading detection to realize unauthorized entry to its market. In keeping with Amazon’s assertion, Perplexity’s brokers present experiences that “degrade the Amazon procuring expertise by exhibiting merchandise that do not broaden discovery, lack customized suggestions and will not be the quickest supply pace obtainable to buyers.”

The corporate pointed to meals supply functions, supply providers, and on-line journey companies as examples of third-party methods that function with specific consent from service suppliers. Amazon acknowledged it “repeatedly requested that Perplexity take away Amazon from the Comet expertise, notably in mild of the considerably degraded procuring and customer support expertise it gives.”

Perplexity responded that Amazon’s place contradicts primary rules of consumer alternative and technological progress. The startup argued that simpler procuring experiences ought to profit retailers by means of elevated transaction quantity and buyer satisfaction. In keeping with Perplexity’s weblog put up, Amazon prioritizes serving commercials, sponsored outcomes, and influencing buying choices by means of upsells somewhat than enabling environment friendly transactions.

The timing coincides with Amazon’s development of competing AI shopping tools. The e-commerce platform launched Rufus, an AI procuring chatbot, and started testing a “Purchase For Me” function that purchases merchandise from third-party web sites with out leaving Amazon’s software. CEO Andy Jassy advised buyers through the firm’s earnings name on October 30, 2025, that Amazon is “having conversations” with potential third-party AI agent companions however emphasised the necessity for options that preserve good buyer experiences.

Amazon blocked AI bots from major technology companies in August 2025, updating its robots.txt file to limit crawlers from Anthropic’s Claude, OpenAI, Google’s Challenge Mariner, and Meta. These restrictions expanded earlier blocking measures carried out at the least a month earlier in opposition to Perplexity and related providers, in response to business evaluation on the time. The restrictions function by means of advisory directions somewhat than enforceable limitations, although platforms usually respect such designations.

The dispute extends past technical implementation particulars to elementary questions on consumer company in AI-mediated commerce. Perplexity emphasised in its weblog put up that consumer brokers should perform as indistinguishable from the customers themselves, working solely on behalf of people somewhat than platform pursuits. The startup argued that customers possess the precise to pick out AI applied sciences that signify them with out discrimination from publishers or companies.

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Amazon maintains $56 billion in annual promoting income constructed round buyers searching its market, in response to monetary disclosures. The enterprise mannequin relies on sponsored product listings, show commercials, and video content material throughout its ecosystem. Third-party AI instruments that bypass Amazon’s storefront might probably undermine each web site site visitors and promoting income streams.

Perplexity launched Comet browser on July 9, 2025, initially limiting entry to subscribers of the corporate’s $200-per-month Max plan. The corporate made the browser freely available on October 2, 2025, after thousands and thousands joined waitlists through the three-month restricted launch interval. Information from that interval confirmed customers elevated their query quantity between 6X and 18X of their first day after downloading Comet.

Every browser tab accommodates a Comet Assistant able to answering questions on seen webpage content material, offering doc summaries, and dealing with routine duties. Early demonstrations confirmed the AI agent autonomously managing buyer help interactions, together with a documented FedEx customer support chat the place Comet Assistant tracked packages and communicated with stay brokers with out human intervention.

The authorized confrontation arrives as major retailers adopt divergent strategies toward AI shopping agents. Analysis printed in September 2025 discovered that the majority retailers welcome AI-mediated procuring experiences whereas sustaining management over buyer interactions. Amazon represents probably the most important exception to service provider openness, explicitly blocking AI bots by means of robots.txt configurations whereas creating proprietary options.

Trade analysts view Amazon’s blocking technique by means of aggressive lenses. Eric Seufert from Cell Dev Memo argued in August 2025 that blocking AI brokers serves Amazon’s enterprise pursuits as a result of agentic commerce “violates the motivations of shops to manage the client relationship and monetize their first-party information with promoting.” This evaluation suggests platforms lack industrial motivation to permit unrestricted third-party agent entry.

Skepticism has grown about AI shopping agent viability regardless of expertise launches together with ChatGPT’s immediate checkout function. Evaluation printed in October 2025 recognized eight structural challenges going through autonomous procuring methods, together with retailer incentives in opposition to AI intermediation, client preferences for seeing choices earlier than deciding, and AI brokers missing contextual buy information.

Shopify adopted completely different approaches to AI brokers in contrast with Amazon’s restrictions. In keeping with reporting from July 2025, Shopify launched warning language to retailers’ robots.txt recordsdata somewhat than implementing complete blocking. The platform’s “Robotic & agent coverage” requires “buy-for-me” brokers to incorporate human evaluation steps and directs builders to combine Shopify’s checkout expertise into their instruments.

The infrastructure for AI agent authentication in e-commerce continues creating. Cloudflare partnered with Visa and Mastercard in October 2025 to develop safety protocols for automated commerce. The Trusted Agent Protocol and Agent Pay purpose to assist retailers distinguish official AI procuring brokers from malicious bots by means of cryptographic verification. Amazon and Shopify collectively management greater than 50 p.c of america e-commerce market and presently block AI brokers to keep up discovery possession and defend retail media companies.

Safety researchers have recognized vulnerabilities in agentic browsers. LayerX Safety found in August 2025 that Comet faced prompt injection vulnerabilities that would exfiltrate emails, calendar information, and related service data by means of crafted URL parameters. Courageous researchers discovered further vulnerabilities in October 2025 involving unseeable immediate injections embedded as nearly-invisible textual content inside pictures. Perplexity allegedly responded that it noticed “no safety impression” to the preliminary disclosures.

The Amazon-Perplexity dispute highlights tensions between innovation advocates and platform management as AI brokers develop into extra able to autonomous motion. Advertising professionals should take into account implications for buyer journey optimization, promoting attribution, and platform relationships as commerce shifts towards AI-mediated transactions. Conventional promoting fashions constructed round platform-controlled discovery experiences face stress from autonomous brokers that prioritize consumer intentions over platform monetization methods.

Perplexity emphasised that it’s going to not be intimidated by company authorized threats, arguing that customers demand agentic procuring experiences. The startup famous that Amazon’s present dimension resulted from delivering good merchandise at low costs with quick supply—rules that Perplexity claims align with pure evolution towards AI-powered commerce. In keeping with the weblog put up, “Amazon should not neglect what it is wish to be our dimension and passionate a few world-changing product.”

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Abstract

Who: Amazon issued a authorized demand to Perplexity, an AI search startup valued at $9 billion. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy commented on third-party agent partnerships through the October 30 earnings name. Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas has advocated for consumer agent rights all through 2025.

What: Amazon demanded Perplexity forestall Comet browser customers from procuring on Amazon’s platform, characterizing the AI agent as working with out transparency and degrading buyer experiences. Perplexity accused Amazon of bullying by means of authorized threats to dam innovation. The dispute issues whether or not third-party AI assistants ought to entry e-commerce platforms to execute purchases autonomously on behalf of customers.

When: Amazon despatched the authorized letter and Perplexity printed its response on November 4, 2025. The confrontation follows months of pressure since Amazon blocked Perplexity’s crawlers in August 2025 and Perplexity launched Comet browser in July 2025.

The place: The dispute impacts Amazon’s United States market, the place Perplexity’s Comet browser allows AI-mediated procuring. Amazon maintains $56 billion in annual promoting income from its market. Each firms function globally however the speedy battle facilities on the U.S. market the place Amazon and Shopify management greater than 50 p.c of e-commerce.

Why: The confrontation displays elementary tensions between platform management and consumer autonomy in AI-mediated commerce. Amazon protects promoting income constructed round buyers searching its market whereas creating competing AI instruments together with Rufus and “Purchase For Me” options. Perplexity argues customers possess rights to pick out AI applied sciences representing them with out platform discrimination. Advertising professionals face implications for buyer journey optimization and promoting attribution as commerce shifts towards autonomous brokers prioritizing consumer intentions over platform monetization methods.


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