In a landmark move aimed at transforming the AI-driven commerce experience, Perplexity, the conversational AI innovator, has forged a strategic partnership with PayPal to bring seamless, agentic transactions directly into chat-based search and discovery. Announced jointly by both companies, this collaboration positions PayPal as the payment engine powering Perplexity Pro, the AI-powered answer and discovery platform, enabling users to make instant purchases using PayPal or Venmo as they interact with Perplexity’s AI for product searches, travel bookings, and ticket purchases. The service is expected to roll out in the U.S. in summer 2025, with ambitions for global expansion.

The mechanics of the partnership are rooted in deep integration. When users engage with Perplexity’s chat interface, not only can they find information—they can also act on it. Shopping for consumer products, booking travel, or securing event tickets can now all be executed in-line without departing the chat, leveraging PayPal’s tokenized wallet and passkey checkout. This eliminates passwords, streamlines user authentication, and, according to PayPal, deploys the company’s most advanced security protocols and fraud detection measures. CNBC notes that this partnership marks one of the first large-scale deployments of direct e-commerce within an AI chat interface for a global audience.

Aravind Srinivas, co-founder and CEO of Perplexity, highlighted the critical role of trust in this new commerce era, especially as AI platforms increasingly influence consumer decision-making. “Both companies are deeply committed to delivering trustworthy, secure experiences at the intersection of AI and commerce,” Srinivas remarked, emphasizing that users must feel confident when making decisions and purchases prompted by AI recommendations.

PayPal President and CEO Alex Chriss described the partnership as transformative, providing “secure, easy shopping in the places and moments where consumers feel inspired.” Chriss, in a post on LinkedIn, signaled that the move reflects PayPal’s belief in AI’s ability to shape the next generation of commercial experiences, allowing consumers to transact as soon as they discover something of interest, rather than being redirected through a gauntlet of online forms and third-party sites.

According to The Information, PayPal’s integration with Perplexity Pro isn’t merely about adding another checkout button. It’s an opportunity to capture new transactions at the point of discovery, tapping into impulse purchases and streamlining the online shopping journey. The arrangement also grants PayPal a view into how consumers behave in conversational, context-driven settings—a dataset of growing value as commerce moves increasingly into AI-curated digital spaces.

The scale of PayPal’s reach is central to the deal. With over 430 million active accounts in roughly 200 markets, as reported by various outlets including PYMNTS, the integration could quickly turn Perplexity into a major commerce destination. Perplexity’s AI can now act not only as a search and answer engine but as a true agent for commerce, closing the gap between intent, information, and action.

Industry analysts, such as those quoted by Investing.com, see this as a pivotal evolution in the commercialization of AI. PayPal has been seeking avenues to diversify beyond its core peer-to-peer payments and merchant services, and agentic commerce—where AI acts on behalf of the user—represents fertile ground for growth. InvestingPro data cited by the publication shows PayPal maintaining solid financial momentum, with the company’s stock returning 12% over the past year and its commerce solutions division positioned for additional revenue streams.

For Perplexity, the alliance is a step toward monetizing its AI capabilities, converting informational queries into real economic transactions. As CNBC observed, embedding payments into AI chat interfaces could accelerate a new wave of “AI-powered shopping,” where the point of inspiration and conversion are unified—an approach that could reshape both commerce and the AI industry as a whole.