c/news · by LadyButterfly@piefed.blahaj.zone · 314d

Amazon sues AI startup over browser’s automated shopping and buying feature

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/nov/05/amazon-perplexity-ai-lawsuit

Amazon accuses Perplexity of covertly accessing customer accounts and disguising AI activity as human browsing

87 points · 12 comments · view on lemmy.world

12 Comments

yesman@lemmy.world · 62 pts · 314d

ThePantser@sh.itjust.works · 39 pts · 314d

You can't use YOUR AI on our systems because we are already using OUR AI to screw our customers.

FelixCress@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 314d (3 replies)

“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

.... And...?

In the complaint, Amazon 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 curated over decades.

🤣🤣🤣

HurlingDurling@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 313d (2 replies)

Translation "We can't track our customers with this AI and it makes us mad"

FelixCress@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 313d (1 reply)

I think it is more "we cannot push the products where we make the most money instead of what customers want".

Amazon search was almost famously bad with them pushing certain products to the top. That's what they mean by "tailored experience".

Meron35@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 313d

Big Tech truly did this to themselves. If Google hadn't enshittified its search, LLMs wouldn't have become nearly as popular, where so many people are using LLMs as search engine replacements.

Veedem@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 314d (2 replies)

Not that I’m an Amazon apologist, but Perplexity has been accused of ignoring robots.txt quite a bit. It’s the “AI” app I’ve used most as I like the citations and find it does the most accurate data analysis (especially for my bored baseball stat searches), but I’m starting to question their integrity more than the usual tech company.

Bourff@lemmy.world · 28 pts · 314d (1 reply)

There isn't a single AI company that abides by robots.txt. They don't give a fuck and will happily ddos your site because hey, watcha gonna do, sue them?

VeryVito@lemmy.ml · 8 pts · 314d

Robots.txt has always seemed more like a treasure map than a Keep Out sign.

setsubyou@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 314d

If they were smarter they’d just detect AI agents and quote them higher prices.

tyranical_typhon@lemmings.world · 2 pts · 313d

Where do they get the money for these lawsuits?

Oh yeah, their customers. Lol.

aarch0x40@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 314d

If you can’t enslave them, you might as well sue them.

tym@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 313d

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