Amazon Sues to Stop Perplexity From Using AI Tool to Buy Stuff

Amazon.com Inc. is suing Perplexity AI Inc. to try and stop the startup from helping users buy items on the world’s largest online marketplace, setting up a showdown that may have implications for the reach of so-called agentic artificial intelligence.

The US online retailer filed a lawsuit Tuesday demanding Perplexity stop allowing its AI browser agent, Comet, to make purchases online for users. The e-commerce giant is accusing Perplexity of committing computer fraud by failing to disclose when Comet is shopping on a real person’s behalf, in violation of Amazon’s terms of service, according to the complaint in San Francisco federal court.