By Jean Leon
Publication Date: 2026-03-10 21:55:00
A key part of the “AI agentic” dream has encountered a significant legal hurdle. Many have longed for the day when you can tell your computer what you want to buy, and a digital assistant handles the tedious work of scouring the web, comparing prices, and clicking “purchase.” One of the companies that promised to offer something similar was Perplexity with Comet. However, as a lawsuit result, Amazon secured a preliminary injunction against Perplexity AI, blocking the Comet browser‘s agentic, autonomous shopping capabilities on the e-commerce platform.
The ruling, issued by District Judge Maxine Chesney, temporarily bars Perplexity from using its “Comet” browser agent to access password-protected areas of Amazon’s marketplace. While the order is temporary, it marks a historic moment in the tug-of-war between AI startups and the massive platforms that host the world’s data.
The core of Amazon’s lawsuit, filed in November, centers on how these AI agents actually “see” the web. Amazon accused Perplexity of using deceptive tactics to bypass its security systems. According to the filings, the Comet agent allegedly “concealed” its automated nature, essentially masquerading as a human shopper to slip past bot-detection tools.
Judge Chesney noted that Amazon provided “strong evidence” that while users gave Perplexity permission to access their accounts, Amazon itself did not authorize the startup to enter its password-protected…
