Comet: Amazon and Perplexity face off over shopping bot Comet; find out what's the matter?

Amazon has asked AI search engine startup Perplexity to stop using its shopping bot, Comet, on the Amazon site. The reason given was that Comet was not disclosing its bot status while making purchases, which is against Amazon's rules.

Comet is a shopping bot that simplifies users' tasks through automation. For example, if you want an item, you can ask Comet about it and it will compare prices across different sites (Flipkart, Amazon, Myntra), provide shopping time, and coupons, all in one place. Once everything is finalized, you can select the product, and Comet will purchase for you. You don't need to visit the site or app to check your previous orders; Comet will display all your orders in one place and, if you wish, will even reorder the product for you. Comet will also provide you with product descriptions, reviews, specifications, various sources, and a key point summary.

Perplexity immediately responded with a blog post, "Bullying is not innovation," which translates to "bullying is not innovation." Perplexity says Amazon's move is unfair to users. The company argues that if a bot is acting on behalf of a user, it should have the same permissions as a human. They say they are simply "assisting the user."

Amazon didn't like this. The company argued that other apps (such as food delivery or travel booking) can identify themselves as agents, so why can't Comet? Amazon also hinted that if Perplexity doesn't comply, they will block Comet entirely. Interestingly, Amazon also has its own bot, Rufus, so there could be a competition angle.

Perplexity believes Amazon's primary motive is to make money, which is why it's opposing bots because bots don't fall for ads or impulsive buying like humans do. This means Amazon will have fewer opportunities to sell you high-end items like an expensive laundry basket or a random novel.

This isn't the first time Perplexity has faced scrutiny. Cloudflare previously accused the company of scraping sites that block bots. People defended Perplexity then, but its methods were questionable.

Disclaimer: This content has been sourced and edited from Amar Ujala. While we have made modifications for clarity and presentation, the original content belongs to its respective authors and website. We do not claim ownership of the content.