Judge Halts Perplexity's AI Shopping Tool From Accessing Amazon

A federal judge has granted Amazon a temporary injunction against AI startup Perplexity, blocking its 'Comet' browser agent from accessing the retailer's website. The order, issued Monday by U.S. District Judge Maxine Chesney, follows a lawsuit Amazon filed last November accusing Perplexity of deliberately concealing its AI to scrape Amazon's data without permission.

Perplexity's Comet tool is designed to help users find and purchase products on Amazon. In her ruling, Judge Chesney stated Amazon presented strong evidence that this access was unauthorized. The company documented spending over $5,000, including significant employee hours, to develop systems to block Comet and prevent future intrusions. The judge found this demonstrated Amazon's likelihood of succeeding in its lawsuit.

An Amazon spokesperson described the injunction as a necessary move to protect customer trust. Perplexity, in a statement, countered that it is defending users' rights to choose their preferred AI tools. The ruling includes a one-week pause to allow for an appeal.

Amazon's complaint argued that AI agents like Comet pose security risks by potentially accessing private customer accounts. The company also stated these tools disrupt its advertising business, as automated traffic must be identified and filtered to ensure advertisers are only billed for human views. This requires costly system modifications.

This legal action is part of a broader effort by Amazon to restrict AI agents from its platforms, having blocked several others, including ChatGPT. The company is simultaneously promoting its own AI shopping assistant, Rufus.

Source: CNBC