Amazon vs. Perplexity: The AI Browser War Begins
▼ Summary
– Amazon has demanded that Perplexity stop its Comet AI browser from purchasing products for customers on Amazon’s site.
– Perplexity accuses Amazon of “bullying” and issued an “aggressive legal threat” over the AI shopping feature.
– Perplexity argues that Amazon should support easier shopping but instead prioritizes ads and sponsored results.
– Amazon claims third-party apps like Comet should respect its decisions and provide a degraded customer experience.
– Perplexity compares Amazon’s stance to a store only allowing its own employees to act as personal shoppers.
A significant conflict is emerging between e-commerce leader Amazon and the artificial intelligence startup Perplexity, centering on the future of automated online shopping. Amazon has formally demanded that Perplexity cease allowing its AI browser, Comet, to purchase products on behalf of users from the Amazon marketplace. The tech giant asserts it has made repeated requests for this activity to stop, a move that Perplexity has publicly characterized as corporate “bullying.”
Perplexity’s Comet browser features an agentic AI designed to autonomously locate and buy items from various online retailers, including Amazon. The startup recently revealed it received what it describes as an “aggressive legal threat” from Amazon, demanding an immediate halt to these automated purchases. Perplexity contends this stance contradicts Amazon’s publicly stated values and its leadership’s recent comments about collaborating with third-party agents.
In a public statement, Perplexity expressed its perspective, arguing, “Amazon should love this. Easier shopping means more transactions and happier customers.” The company suggested that Amazon’s opposition stems from a different priority: “But Amazon doesn’t care. They’re more interested in serving you ads, sponsored results, and influencing your purchasing decisions with upsells and confusing offers.” To bolster its argument, Perplexity referenced a recent earnings call where Amazon CEO Andy Jassy indicated the company anticipates partnering with external agents in the future.
Jesse Dwyer, a spokesperson for Perplexity, offered an analogy to clarify their position in a statement to The Verge. “This is like if you went to a store and the store only allowed you to hire a personal shopper who worked for the store,” Dwyer explained. “That’s not a personal shopper , that’s a sales associate.”
Amazon has defended its position with a different rationale. The company’s official statement maintains that any third-party application facilitating purchases on its platform must honor the decisions of service providers regarding their participation. Amazon claims that the Comet AI provides a “significantly degraded shopping and customer service experience” for its users, justifying its demand for the service to be discontinued. This dispute highlights the growing tension between established digital marketplaces and innovative AI services seeking to redefine how consumers interact with them.
(Source: The Verge)
