Amazon and Perplexity have started the great AI-powered web browser battle

Amazon doesn’t want to be part of Perplexity’s AI-powered shopping experience. in Post on Tuesdaythe e-commerce giant says it has “repeatedly requested” that Perplexity stop allowing its Comet AI browser to purchase products for customers, which… He responded to Accusing Amazon of “bullying”.

Perplexity’s AI browser, Comet, It currently offers an agent AI feature It can find and purchase products from various websites – including Amazon – on your behalf. But now, Perplexity says it has received an “aggressive legal threat” from Amazon demanding that it stop allowing its AI assistant to shop for users — something the AI ​​startup claims goes against Amazon’s values.

“Amazon must love this. Easier shopping means more transactions and happier customers,” Perplexity writes. “But Amazon doesn’t care. It’s more interested in serving you ads, sponsored results, and influencing your purchasing decisions with upsells and confusing offers.” And in this position, there is also confusion He cites a quote from Amazon CEO Andy Jassywho said during an earnings call last week that the company expects to “partner with third-party agents” over time.

“This is like if you went into a store and the store only allowed you to hire a personal shopper who works in the store,” Jesse Dwyer, a spokesman for Perplexity, said in a statement. Edge. “This is not a personal shopper – this is a sales associate.”

Meanwhile, Amazon’s statement says third-party apps that purchase products for customers on its site “must respect the service provider’s decisions about whether or not to participate,” claiming that Comet provides a “significantly degraded shopping and customer service experience.”