It may sound like a joke, but it is not. Pexplexity published an official statement entitled “Bullying is not innovation”, in which it accuses Amazon of intimidating it so that users of Comet stop using the tool as an intelligent shopping assistant on the marketplace.
According to the startup, the objective of the online retail giant is to eliminate users’ rights in order to sell more advertisements now and to partner with AI agents designed to exploit users in the future. “It is not just harassment: it is madness,” the document asserts.
In response, Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon, stated that Perplexity should respect its wish for the shopping agent to avoid its website, in order to “ensure a positive customer experience.” According to the executive, external AI agents lack personalization and purchase history, and therefore provide inaccurate prices and incorrect delivery times.
Here, the discussion goes beyond a mere corporate dispute: can you use your own AI assistant to shop on Amazon, or only those that the marketplace approves? According to Perplexity, the answer Amazon is delivering is a clear “no.”
Let us recall that Amazon has its own AI-based shopping assistant, Rufus, which we have recently discussed, and which has not gained much popularity worldwide. In fact, the country most suspicious of the tool is the United States itself, birthplace of Amazon. Despite having been launched less than two years ago, the marketplace has not succeeded in securing natural and frequent use of Rufus among its users. The arrival of Comet further complicates its plans to strengthen its native assistant.
In this regard, Perplexity asserts that, although websites have always had the right to block bots attempting to crawl them, it is not unusual for major technology companies to try to impede potentially disruptive tactics employed by new competitors. “Amazon generates tens of billions annually by selling advertising space on its marketplace, a highly profitable source of revenue that would decrease if people began to use agents to shop instead of browsing themselves,” it argues.
Perplexity poses the same question: “The rise of agentive AI presents a choice: will this technology empower users to control their digital lives, or will it become another tool for corporations to manipulate and exploit them?”.
The startup maintains that tools such as Comet enable users to save time, make better decisions, and simplify the purchasing process, since these assistants are not distracted by advertisements nor are they swayed by sponsored products. They go straight to the point.
Amazon justifies its decision with reasons related to quality: it claims that external assistants provide unreliable data, incorrect delivery estimates, and prices that might be outdated.
Perplexity denies this and views it as a means of stifling innovation and maintaining complete control over how consumers navigate and make purchases within its platform: “The Comet Assistant quickly finds and buys the item for you, saving you time for more important tasks (…) But Amazon does not care. It is more interested in showing you advertisements, sponsored results, and influencing your purchasing decisions with upsells and confusing deals.”
According to Perplexity’s perspective, personal agents represent the future of online navigation. “They are distinct from crawlers, collectors, or bots. A user agent is your AI assistant: it has exactly the same permissions as you, acts only when you request it, and solely on your behalf,” it explains, and adds that in order for user agents to fulfill their true purpose, they must be private, personal, and powerful in order to be genuinely useful for users.
Therefore, in response to Amazon’s demand, Perplexity asserts that it will not be intimidated and will continue to fight for users’ rights. “People love our products because they are designed for them. User freedom and choice are at the heart of everything we build,” it states, while addressing a pointed comment at Jeff Bezos: “Amazon also forgets how it became so large: users love it. They want good products at a low price and delivered quickly. Agentive shopping is the natural evolution of that promise, and people are already demanding it. Perplexity demands the right to offer it.”
Photo: Gemini
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