• Amazon accuses Perplexity of disguising its AI agent as a human shopper.
  • Perplexity fires back, calling Amazon’s lawsuit an act of corporate bullying.
  • The case spotlights a fast-growing clash over how AI “agents” interact with online platforms.

AI startup Perplexity is in hot water again — this time with the world’s largest e-commerce company. Amazon has filed a lawsuit against Perplexity AI, accusing the fast-growing startup of secretly accessing private customer accounts through its “agentic” shopping assistant and disguising automated activity as human browsing, Reuters reported.

The lawsuit came less than a month after Reddit sued Perplexity for allegedly scraping millions of user posts to train its AI models, adding to growing scrutiny over how the company collects and uses online data.

According to Reuters, the lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, marks a major clash between Big Tech and a new generation of AI companies racing to automate everyday online tasks. At the center of the dispute is Perplexity’s Comet browser, a tool that lets users shop through an AI agent capable of comparing products and placing orders on their behalf. Amazon says that behind the innovation lies misconduct.

“The clash highlights an emerging debate over regulation of the growing use of AI agents and their interaction with websites, aiming to make them more autonomous and capable of handling everyday online tasks,” Reuters reported.

“Rather than be transparent, Perplexity has purposely configured its CometAI software to not identify the Comet AI agent’s activities in the Amazon Store,” it said. “Perplexity’s misconduct must end,” Amazon added. “Perplexity is not allowed to go where it has been expressly told it cannot; that Perplexity’s trespass involves code rather than a lockpick makes it no less unlawful.”

Amazon vs. Perplexity AI: The Legal Battle Over Automated Shopping and the Future of AI Agents

Amazon’s complaint accuses Perplexity of “covertly accessing private Amazon customer accounts” and intentionally hiding its automated activity to appear human. The company says Perplexity ignored multiple cease-and-desist requests and that its system “posed security risks to customer data.” In its filing, Amazon didn’t mince words: “Perplexity’s misconduct must end. Perplexity is not allowed to go where it has been expressly told it cannot; that Perplexity’s trespass involves code rather than a lockpick makes it no less unlawful.”

Perplexity, which has seen explosive growth as AI assistants gain traction, pushed back against Amazon’s claims. The company said Amazon’s move is less about protecting users and more about stifling competition. “Bullying is when large corporations use legal threats and intimidation to block innovation and make life worse for people,” the startup wrote in a blog post.

Amazon argues the opposite — that Perplexity’s AI agent interferes with its ability to offer the personalized shopping experience customers expect and undermines the trust built over decades. The company said third-party apps making purchases should operate openly and respect platforms’ boundaries.

Perplexity insists it’s playing fair. The company said its Comet AI agent stores user credentials locally on the user’s device and never on its servers. “Easier shopping means more transactions and happier customers,” it said, accusing Amazon of protecting its ad-driven model rather than consumer choice.

The lawsuit lands as both companies are developing their own AI shopping tools. Amazon has been testing “Buy For Me,” a feature that helps users shop across brands, and “Rufus,” an AI assistant for product recommendations and cart management. Perplexity, meanwhile, has positioned its Comet browser as the next step in web automation — an assistant that doesn’t just suggest what to buy but buys it for you.

The case could set a precedent for how far AI agents can go before crossing legal or ethical lines. As startups like Perplexity race to make digital assistants more autonomous, companies like Amazon are drawing boundaries around their data and customer ecosystems. For now, one thing is clear — the battle over who controls the next generation of online shopping has officially begun.

Founded in 2022 by a team of former Google and OpenAI engineers, Perplexity bills itself as an “answer engine” designed to provide quick, sourced responses to queries, distinguishing itself from search incumbents like Google.