THE WHAT? A US appeals court has overturned a temporary ban preventing Perplexity from using its AI-powered agentic shopping tools on Amazon, in a closely watched case over how AI agents can access and transact on e-commerce platforms.
THE DETAILS The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Amazon was unlikely to succeed on its claim that Perplexity’s AI agents violated US computer fraud law. Amazon sued Perplexity in November over its Comet browser and associated AI agent, which can access users’ shopping accounts and place orders on their behalf, arguing that the technology posed security risks and accessed its platform without permission. A federal judge temporarily blocked Perplexity’s agentic AI from Amazon in March, but the appeals court has now reversed that decision, finding that it was Perplexity’s users, rather than Perplexity itself, that accessed Amazon through the AI agents. Amazon said it disagreed with the ruling and was evaluating its next steps.
THE WHY? The decision could have wider implications for e-commerce platforms, retailers and brands as agentic AI develops into a new shopping channel. The ruling addresses a key question around whether third-party AI assistants can browse and transact on digital platforms on behalf of consumers, potentially influencing how retailers control access to their ecosystems as AI-assisted shopping expands.
Source: Reuters
