On August 4, 2026, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued its decision in Amazon.com Services, LLC v. Perplexity AI, Inc., vacating a preliminary injunction that had barred Perplexity’s AI-enabled web browser from interacting with Amazon’s website. The decision addresses a question of first impression: whether an AI “agent” that assists a user in navigating a website constitutes unauthorized “access” under the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). The court held that, on the facts presented, it does not, concluding that it is the user, not the AI tool, who “accesses” the website for purposes of the statute. This alert summarizes the decision and its practical implications for AI developers and deployers, as well as for businesses whose platforms or data may be implicated by AI-driven interactions.