Amazon And Perplexity Clash Over AI Shopping Assistant Comet

Amazon and AI startup Perplexity are currently engaged in a highly visible dispute related to Comet, Perplexity's AI shopping assistant. The incident reveals obvious tensions between entrenched e-commerce companies such as Amazon and emerging AI companies that are trying to automate the shopping experience online.

Comet, an AI browser developed by Perplexity, allows users to search for products and even complete purchases autonomously across multiple websites — including Amazon. The tool’s goal is to make shopping as simple as issuing a command, letting the AI handle the search, checkout, and payment steps on behalf of the user.

But Amazon isn’t on board.

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Amazon’s Objection: “Unapproved Automation”

In a statement, Amazon said it has “repeatedly requested” that Perplexity stop allowing Comet to make purchases on Amazon’s platform. The company argues that Comet’s automation violates its platform rules, which prohibit third-party tools from conducting transactions without explicit authorisation.

Amazon emphasised that third-party services must “respect service provider decisions whether or not to participate.” It also criticized Comet for allegedly offering a “degraded shopping and customer service experience”, suggesting that the AI system might misrepresent prices, shipping timelines, or post-purchase support options.

Perplexity Fires Back: “Amazon Is Bullying Startups”

Perplexity hit back hard, calling Amazon’s actions “bullying” and accusing the company of trying to block innovation that benefits consumers.

“Amazon should love this. Easier shopping means more transactions and happier customers,” Perplexity said in a public response. “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.”

Perplexity also pointed out the irony of Amazon’s stance, referencing CEO Andy Jassy’s recent remarks to investors that the company aims to “partner with third-party agents” in the future — suggesting that Amazon’s rejection of Comet contradicts its public messaging about openness to AI-driven integrations.

The Legal Threat

According to Perplexity, Amazon recently sent the company an “aggressive legal threat” — a cease-and-desist order demanding that the startup disable Comet’s purchasing feature on Amazon’s website. The document reportedly warns of potential legal action if Perplexity fails to comply.

Perplexity maintains that Comet operates within fair-use boundaries, asserting that users authorize the purchases themselves and that the AI acts merely as an agent performing actions on behalf of the user — similar to a voice assistant or browser extension.

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The Bigger Picture: AI vs. Platform Control

This conflict highlights a growing industry tension: as AI assistants become capable of handling full online transactions, platforms like Amazon, eBay, and Walmart may see a loss of control over how customers interact with their ecosystems.

For AI startups, these assistants promise seamless, ad-free shopping driven purely by user preference — a direct challenge to the ad-heavy and recommendation-based models that power e-commerce giants’ profits.

Final Thoughts

The Amazon–Perplexity dispute reflects a larger question about the future of online commerce: Who controls the shopping experience — the platform or the AI agent? While Amazon is unlikely to compromise on policy enforcement, Perplexity’s challenge spotlights the coming wave of AI intermediaries poised to disrupt traditional retail models.

If AI-driven browsers like Comet continue to evolve, they could fundamentally reshape e-commerce — turning every website into a backend data source rather than a shopping destination.