Amazon Sues Perplexity Over AI Shopping Agent Comet

Amazon.com Inc., the world’s largest online retailer, has launched a legal battle against Perplexity AI Inc., claiming the startup’s AI agent, Comet, is making purchases on Amazon without proper disclosure. The lawsuit, filed in a San Francisco federal court, accuses Perplexity of computer fraud and violating Amazon’s terms of service.

The conflict follows a cease-and-desist letter sent to Perplexity last week, which Amazon said was necessary after the startup allegedly bypassed security measures and continued to let Comet act as a shopping agent. Amazon argues that Comet degrades the shopping experience and introduces privacy risks for users.

Perplexity, valued at $20 billion, responded by calling Amazon a “bully” and defending users’ rights to choose AI assistants to make purchases. The startup claims Comet only acts on users’ commands and does not scrape or train on Amazon’s data.

This clash is part of a broader debate over the role of agentic AI—tools that can perform real-world tasks online, such as shopping, drafting emails, or researching content—beyond just generating text. Companies like OpenAI, Google, and even Amazon itself are exploring similar AI agents, but the legal limits remain uncertain.

Amazon points to its own AI shopping features, like “Buy For Me” and “Rufus,” and stresses that third-party applications must respect service rules. Experts suggest this lawsuit could set an important precedent for the AI industry, defining how far autonomous agents can go on platforms built by others.

Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas insists that AI agents should have the same rights as human users when acting on their behalf, framing the dispute as a matter of customer choice. Meanwhile, Amazon stresses that ensuring a safe and consistent shopping experience is key to protecting both users and the value of its advertising business.

The case is being closely watched by tech companies, regulators, and startups as it could shape the future of AI-driven online services.