*

Amazon ( AMZN ) accuses Perplexity of security risks, account

access

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Says its Comet AI agent degrades customers' shopping

experience

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Earlier Perplexity called the move a threat to user choice

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Added that it threatens the future of AI assistants

(Adds details in paragraph 6)

Nov 4 (Reuters) - Amazon ( AMZN ) sued Perplexity AI on

Tuesday over the startup's "agentic" shopping feature, which

uses automation to place orders for users, saying it covertly

accessed Amazon ( AMZN ) customer accounts and disguised automated

activity as human browsing.

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.

Perplexity, which has grown rapidly amid the boom in AI

assistants, has previously rejected the U.S. shopping giant's

claims, saying it was using its market dominance to stifle

competition.

The startup did not immediately respond to a Reuters request

for comment on Amazon's ( AMZN ) lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court

for the northern district of California.

AMAZON WANTS PERPLEXITY TO END 'MISCONDUCT'

In the suit, Amazon ( AMZN ) accused Perplexity of covertly accessing

private Amazon ( AMZN ) customer accounts through its Comet browser and

associated AI agent, and of disguising automated activity as

human browsing.

Perplexity's system posed security risks to customer data,

Amazon ( AMZN ) added, and the startup had ignored repeated requests to

stop.

"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 ( AMZN ) 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."

Perplexity earlier said it had received a legal threat from

Amazon ( AMZN ) demanding that it block the Comet AI agent from shopping

on the platform, calling the move a broader threat to user

choice and the future of AI assistants.

"Bullying is when large corporations use legal threats and

intimidation to block innovation and make life worse for

people," the company wrote in a blog post.

In the complaint, Amazon ( AMZN ) accused Perplexity's Comet AI agent

of degrading customers' shopping experience and interfering with

its ability to ensure customers who use the agent benefit from

the tailored shopping experience Amazon ( AMZN ) curated over decades.

Third-party apps making purchases for users should operate

openly and respect businesses' decisions on whether to

participate, Amazon ( AMZN ) said in an earlier statement.

CREDENTIALS STORED LOCALLY, SAYS PERPLEXITY

Perplexity is among many AI startups seeking to reinvent the

web browser around artificial intelligence, aiming to make it

more autonomous and capable of handling everyday online

activities, from drafting emails to completing purchases.

Amazon ( AMZN ) is also developing similar tools, such as "Buy For

Me", which lets users shop across brands within its app, and

"Rufus", an AI assistant to recommend items and manage carts.

The AI agent on Perplexity's Comet browser acts as an

assistant that can make purchases and comparisons for users. The

company said user credentials remain stored locally and never on

its servers.

"Easier shopping means more transactions and happier

customers," it added. "But Amazon ( AMZN ) doesn't care, they're more

interested in serving you ads."

The startup said users had the right to choose their own AI

assistants, portraying Amazon's ( AMZN ) move as a bid to protect its

ad-driven business model.