Perplexity and PayPal team up to launch AI-powered conversational commerce

Perplexity AI has announced a strategic partnership with PayPal to introduce agentic commerce capabilities to its Perplexity Pro platform in the U.S. This collaboration aims to simplify online shopping by enabling users to make instant checkouts via PayPal or Venmo directly within Perplexity’s chat interface. The integration allows users to complete transactions in real time through natural conversation, removing the friction typically associated with online commerce.

Starting this summer, U.S. users will be able to utilize this feature to purchase products, book travel, or buy tickets directly within the chat interface. The entire process, including payment, shipping, tracking, and invoicing, will be managed behind the scenes through PayPal’s account linking and secure tokenized wallet, potentially eliminating the need for passwords and streamlining the experience to a single user query or click.

This partnership not only brings PayPal’s secure and scalable payment solutions to Perplexity’s AI platform but also extends Perplexity’s reach across PayPal’s vast global user base of more than 430 million active accounts in nearly 200 markets.

Perplexity’s platform is designed to fuse real-time web data with generative AI models, delivering cited answers and actionable outcomes in a single chat interface. The tool supports users in a variety of tasks, from researching topics and comparing products to planning travel—all by asking simple questions in natural language. With the new PayPal integration, users can now complete purchases without leaving the chat, marking a significant leap forward in conversational commerce.

Perplexity co-founder and CEO Aravind Srinivas stated, “Perplexity wants to have accurate, trustworthy answers wherever people are making decisions. PayPal is a natural partner because we share a vision for how important trust is in the age of AI.” PayPal President and CEO Alex Chriss added, “This partnership unlocks new possibilities, where conversations now drive commerce. We’re making it easy and secure to shop right in the chat when inspiration strikes. It’s a powerful step in making conversational commerce a reality”.

This collaboration positions both companies at the forefront of agentic commerce, a rapidly growing trend where AI agents not only assist with shopping but also handle transactions for consumers. By integrating PayPal’s commerce solutions into Perplexity’s chat interface, the partnership aims to redefine the online shopping experience, making it more seamless and intuitive for users.