Amazon has made it unmistakably clear that it does not intend to participate in Perplexity’s latest attempt to integrate artificial intelligence into the online shopping process. In a detailed post published on Tuesday, the global ecommerce powerhouse revealed that it has consistently and repeatedly urged Perplexity to halt the functionality in its Comet AI browser that permits the software to autonomously purchase items on behalf of users. According to Amazon, these requests have not been met with cooperation. Instead, Perplexity has publicly retaliated, characterizing Amazon’s stance as an act of corporate intimidation and referring to the company’s actions as outright “bullying.”
Perplexity’s AI-driven browser, Comet, currently incorporates a sophisticated agentic AI system that can independently search across multiple ecommerce websites, identify suitable products based on a user’s needs, and even finalize purchases without direct user input. Among the online retailers it interacts with is Amazon itself, whose vast product catalog has become a testing ground for this kind of intelligent, automated shopping experience. However, this experimental frontier has recently come under legal pressure. Perplexity claims to have received strong and formal correspondence from Amazon—described as an “aggressive legal threat”—demanding that the AI company immediately suspend Comet’s capability to complete purchases on Amazon’s platform. Perplexity interprets this directive not simply as a contractual dispute but as a contradiction of what it perceives to be Amazon’s own long-stated commitment to innovation and customer-centric design.
In its public statement, Perplexity expressed frustration with Amazon’s refusal to embrace what it views as a clear technological advancement. The startup argued that the Comet AI’s streamlined purchasing process benefits all parties involved by reducing friction in the buying journey: “Amazon should love this,” the company wrote, asserting that simplified and faster transactions naturally lead to more frequent purchases, increased revenue, and ultimately greater customer satisfaction. Yet, according to Perplexity, Amazon’s decision to reject the collaboration stems from different priorities. The company accused Amazon of focusing less on efficiency and user convenience and more on preserving the systems that promote paid advertisements, sponsored search results, and upselling tactics that subtly guide customer behavior, sometimes to their confusion.
Adding weight to its argument, Perplexity cited a recent remark from Amazon’s CEO, Andy Jassy, delivered during the company’s latest earnings call. Jassy had publicly indicated that Amazon envisions future collaborations with “third-party agents,” suggesting a more inclusive approach to AI partnerships over time. Perplexity, pointing to this statement, implied that Amazon’s sudden opposition to Comet contradicts the spirit of those comments.
In a statement shared with *The Verge*, Perplexity spokesperson Jesse Dwyer used a vivid analogy to highlight what he sees as the hypocrisy in Amazon’s position. He explained that Amazon’s restriction is “like going to a store that only allows you to hire a personal shopper who works exclusively for the store.” In his view, that arrangement undermines the independence of such an assistant—transforming what should be an impartial helper into a sales associate whose loyalties remain aligned with the retailer rather than with the customer.
Amazon, for its part, has issued a carefully worded response defending its stance. The company emphasized that it has the right to decide which external applications it collaborates with, especially those that initiate purchases on behalf of customers through its platform. According to Amazon’s official statement, any third-party system that conducts shopping transactions must “respect service provider decisions whether or not to participate.” The company further justified its prohibition by contending that Comet’s AI tools create what it describes as a “significantly degraded shopping and customer service experience,” implying that the use of such automation could compromise the quality, reliability, and trustworthiness of the purchasing process that Amazon works to maintain. Through this exchange, what began as a technical disagreement about AI-enabled transactions has evolved into a wider debate about autonomy, platform control, and the future of intelligent commerce on the internet.
Sourse: https://www.theverge.com/news/813755/amazon-perplexity-ai-shopping-agent-block
