Amazon Sends Cease‑And‑Desist to Perplexity Over AI‑Powered Shopping Agent

Amazon has issued a cease‑and‑desist letter to AI startup Perplexity, demanding that its Comet browser stop making purchases on Amazon. Amazon argues the agent violates its terms of service, degrades the shopping experience and creates privacy risks. Perplexity counters that the tool acts as a user‑directed agent and labels Amazon’s demands as bullying. The dispute highlights growing tensions over third‑party AI agents that automate ecommerce transactions and raises questions about how platform rules will apply to emerging AI‑driven services.

Background

Perplexity, an artificial‑intelligence startup, launched a browser‑based tool called Comet that can store login credentials locally and execute purchase commands on behalf of users. The company promoted the feature as a way for shoppers to buy items on Amazon with a simple voice or text command, positioning the tool as an "agent of the user" rather than a bot or scraper.

Amazon’s Position

Amazon responded by sending a cease‑and‑desist letter to Perplexity, asserting that the Comet agent breaches the company’s Conditions of Use. Specifically, Amazon cited prohibitions on "downloading, copying, or other use of account information for the benefit of any third party" and on "data mining, robots, or similar data gathering and extraction tools." The retailer argued that the agent degrades the Amazon shopping experience, introduces privacy vulnerabilities, and fails to respect the platform’s service‑provider decisions.

Perplexity’s Response

In a blog post, Perplexity described Amazon’s actions as bullying and claimed the demands threaten all internet users. The startup maintains that Comet operates as a user‑directed agent, distinct from crawlers or bots, and therefore should not be subject to the same restrictions. Perplexity also pointed out that the company had previously paused agentic shopping on Amazon in November 2024, but resumed the feature when Comet was released, arguing it was represented as a Chrome browser user to comply with earlier agreements.

Industry Context

The conflict occurs amid broader industry moves toward AI‑driven shopping assistance. Amazon has demonstrated its own AI shopping agent, "Buy for Me," in April 2025, signaling the retailer’s interest in integrating similar capabilities. Meanwhile, Perplexity faces additional legal scrutiny, including a lawsuit from Reddit alleging unauthorized access to posts and earlier claims from Cloudflare about the company’s bots masquerading as normal browsers.

Implications for Platform Policies

Both parties emphasize the need for clear rules governing third‑party applications that automate purchases. Amazon stresses that such tools should operate openly and respect platform terms, drawing parallels to food‑delivery apps and travel agencies that coordinate transactions with partner services. Perplexity argues that user‑controlled agents deserve a different treatment, highlighting a potential split in how platforms may regulate AI agents versus traditional bots.

Future Outlook

The dispute underscores the growing tension between ecommerce platforms and emerging AI services that aim to streamline the buying process. As more companies develop AI agents capable of completing transactions, the industry may see heightened negotiations over terms of service, privacy safeguards, and the definition of what constitutes a permissible third‑party application.