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Tag: Perplexity

  • Perplexity Launches All-New Native Mac App Bringing Always-On Personal Computer AI Agent

    Perplexity Launches All-New Native Mac App Bringing Always-On Personal Computer AI Agent

    Perplexity released a rebuilt version of its macOS application on May 7, 2026, replacing its previous Mac software with what the company describes as an all-new native Mac experience. The redesigned app serves as the primary interface for Perplexity Personal Computer, the company always-on agentic feature that runs on a dedicated Mac mini and works continuously in the background to manage tasks, monitor triggers, and carry work forward between user sessions.

    What Happened

    The new Mac app is available to all Pro and Max subscribers and is built to take full advantage of macOS system capabilities rather than relying on a web wrapper. It integrates directly with Perplexity Computer, a service that pairs local file and app access with Perplexity cloud-connected search and reasoning capabilities. The updated Computer feature now supports Microsoft Teams integration alongside its existing app connections, and the company has upgraded the underlying AI models that power it for improved speed and reliability.

    Perplexity also announced that the Computer feature itself has been updated with more powerful models and improved multi-step task execution. Pro and Max subscribers gain access to agentic capabilities that allow the assistant to proactively work through ongoing tasks, monitor external triggers like emails or calendar events, and surface results without requiring the user to initiate each action.

    Why It Matters

    The native Mac app marks Perplexity expansion beyond its core identity as an AI-powered search engine. Personal Computer represents a direct bid for a share of the productivity-focused AI assistant market that Microsoft Copilot, Anthropic Claude, and Apple Intelligence are all competing to dominate. By positioning its product as an always-on background agent rather than a chatbot users summon on demand, Perplexity is pursuing a different UX paradigm — one that bets heavily on proactive AI value delivery.

    Perplexity is growing rapidly, with over 45 million monthly active users as of early 2026 and annualized revenue that crossed 50 million in March. The native Mac app and updated Computer features are designed to deepen engagement among the highest-value segment of that user base and support continued subscription growth.

    Stay updated on the latest AI news at Evolve Digital.

  • Amazon Wins Court Order Blocking Perplexity AI Shopping Bots on Its Marketplace

    Amazon Wins Court Order Blocking Perplexity AI Shopping Bots on Its Marketplace

    A federal court ruled on March 10, 2026, that Perplexity AI must immediately stop using its Comet web browser agent to make purchases on behalf of shoppers on Amazon marketplace. The injunction, granted at Amazon request, marks a significant legal development at the intersection of AI agents, consumer identity, and e-commerce fraud law.

    What Happened

    Amazon filed a lawsuit accusing Perplexity of committing computer fraud by deploying Comet to shop on Amazon without clearly disclosing that the activity was being performed by an AI agent rather than a human user. The core legal argument is that Perplexity Comet browser agent violated computer fraud statutes by accessing Amazon systems under false pretenses — presenting as an ordinary browser session when it was, in fact, an automated agent acting on behalf of a third party.

    The court sided with Amazon in granting the preliminary injunction, ordering Perplexity to halt Comet activity on Amazon marketplace while the broader lawsuit proceeds. The case is the latest in a series of legal challenges that AI agent products have faced as they enter consumer commerce. Perplexity Computer, which launched in February 2026, uses Comet to execute multi-step agentic tasks including web shopping on behalf of users.

    The ruling does not affect other Perplexity products or its search functionality, but it does temporarily remove one of the most visible use cases that the company had been promoting for its new agentic platform.

    Why It Matters

    The Amazon versus Perplexity case raises fundamental questions about how AI agents that act on behalf of users will be regulated in commercial environments. Marketplaces like Amazon have terms of service that govern automated access, and the question of whether an AI shopping agent is acting as the user or as a separate entity is not yet settled in law.

    The outcome could affect the entire category of AI consumer agent products. If courts determine that AI agents must explicitly identify themselves when conducting transactions, it would require significant changes to how products like Perplexity Computer, and similar offerings from other companies, operate in commerce contexts. The case is expected to proceed to a full trial, with the preliminary injunction in place until a final ruling is reached.

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