By Ava Callegari
Publication Date: 2025-12-01 20:30:00
Clash of Titans: Amazon’s Legal Salvo Ignites the AI Agent Revolution
In the escalating battle over artificial intelligence’s role in everyday commerce, Amazon has fired a significant shot by suing Perplexity AI, a rising star in the AI search arena. The lawsuit, filed in a San Francisco federal court, accuses Perplexity’s Comet browser of covertly accessing Amazon customer accounts and masquerading AI-driven shopping as human activity. This move not only highlights tensions between e-commerce giants and innovative startups but also signals broader implications for how AI agents interact with online platforms. According to details from the complaint, Amazon claims Perplexity’s tool violates terms of service by failing to disclose its automated nature during purchases, potentially introducing privacy risks and degrading the shopping experience.
Perplexity, known for its AI-powered search engine that competes with traditional giants like Google, launched Comet as an “agentic” browser extension designed to handle tasks autonomously on behalf of users. This includes logging into sites like Amazon, browsing products, and completing transactions using the user’s credentials—all while appearing as a regular Chrome browser session. Amazon’s legal action follows a cease-and-desist letter sent to Perplexity, demanding an end to these practices. The e-commerce behemoth argues that such disguised automation amounts to computer fraud, echoing concerns…