US court allowed Perplexity to use AI agents for shopping on Amazon

A US appeals court has overturned a decision that temporarily barred Perplexity from using its AI agents to make purchases on the Amazon platform.

This was reported by Reuters.

This is the first federal appeals court ruling on the legality of such tools.

What we know about the case between Amazon and Perplexity

Amazon filed the lawsuit in November last year. The company alleged that the startup Perplexity, through the Comet browser and its associated AI agent, was accessing private Amazon user accounts.

It could log into their accounts and place orders on their behalf. 

The complaint also said such actions created security risks, and that Perplexity allegedly ignored repeated demands to stop using the service.

Perplexity denied the allegations, saying the lawsuit was an attempt to prevent Amazon users from using AI agents.

In March, a federal court in California temporarily banned Perplexity from using its AI tools on the Amazon platform, saying the company had presented significant evidence of a possible violation of the law.

However, the appeals court vacated that ruling. The judges agreed with Perplexity’s argument that access to the platform was carried out by the users themselves through AI agents, not by Perplexity directly.

What the court decided

The US appeals court ruled that Amazon is unlikely to be able to prove its claim that Perplexity’s AI agents violated the federal law on unauthorized access to computer systems.

The case is the first federal appeals court decision on whether AI agents acting on behalf of users can legally interact with online platforms.

This question matters for the development of agent-based AI tools that can browse websites, make purchases, and perform other actions online.

Business spending on AI

In May, technology and media companies were spending an average of $66 per employee on AI, up from $59 a month earlier, the report says.

In some startups, artificial intelligence is already partially replacing new hires. MindFort’s CEO Brendon Vaysekh said that before modern AI tools appeared, his company would have needed about 20 employees instead of six to achieve the current results.

Business Insider writes that access to the most powerful AI models could soon become a distinct advantage within companies.

Already, job candidates increasingly ask in interviews which AI tools will be available in a new role and whether there are restrictions on their use.

Also read: Amazon reached a market value of over $3 trillion for the first time