Amazon has blocked OpenAI's ChatGPT from accessing its site, preventing the AI's new Shopping Research agent from scraping product pages, prices, and reviews. The move underscores a clash between the dominant retailer and emerging AI shopping tools that could reshape how consumers discover and purchase items online. Industry observers note the decision may force brands to adapt their sites for AI visibility, while competitors see an opening to challenge Amazon's market dominance. Read more →

Perplexity Shopping, an AI‑powered shopping assistant built into the Perplexity AI platform, helps users locate and purchase items through natural‑language queries. Launched in 2024 by founders Aravind Srinivas, Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, and Andy Konwinski, the tool provides product suggestions, price comparisons, reviews, images, and a Snap to Shop feature that matches uploaded photos to online listings. It operates on a free tier and a Pro tier priced at $20 a month, the latter unlocking advanced models, one‑click purchasing, and order tracking. While praised for convenience and personalized recommendations, the service still faces limitations such as incomplete retailer coverage and certain features locked behind the paid subscription. Read more →