Amazon and Perplexity Clash Over Deployment of Third-Party AI Shopping Agents

Core Viewpoint - Amazon and AI startup Perplexity are engaged in a legal dispute regarding the use of third-party AI agents for shopping on Amazon's platform, with Perplexity asserting its right to allow users to utilize AI for shopping [2][3]. Group 1: Dispute Details - Perplexity received an "aggressive legal threat" from Amazon, demanding that it prevent users of its Comet browser from using AI assistants to shop on Amazon [2]. - Perplexity stated it will not be intimidated and aims to empower users to control their digital shopping experiences through agentic AI [2]. - Amazon responded by emphasizing that third-party applications should respect businesses' decisions regarding participation in their platforms [3]. Group 2: Amazon's Position - Amazon argues that ensuring a positive customer experience is crucial and that third-party applications, like Perplexity's Comet, have similar obligations to respect business decisions [3]. - The company highlighted that it has requested Perplexity to remove Amazon from the Comet experience due to concerns over degraded shopping and customer service [3]. Group 3: Industry Context - Reports indicated that Amazon has been taking measures to block AI shopping tools from other companies, including updating its website code to restrict new AI agents [4]. - The rise of agentic AI has prompted companies to evaluate both the economic potential and risks associated with this emerging technology [4].