Perplexity AI: An AI-powered search engine/research platform.
Founded: August 2022 by CEO Aravan Shrines (previously at OpenAI and DeepMind).
Funding: Raised $100M in Series B (valuation: $520M), notable investors include Jeff Bezos, Nvidia.
User Base: Grew from 10M monthly active users in Jan 2024 to 60M in April 2024.
Product Features
Core Functionality
AI Chatbot + Web Search: Combines chatbot capabilities with web search.
Answer Engine: Focuses on providing direct answers rather than just search results.
Example Comparison:
Google: Provides links and summaries but not direct answers from multiple sources.
Perplexity: Understands questions, searches web using various relevant keywords, and aggregates information from multiple sources to give comprehensive answers.
Comparison with Other Tools
ChatGPT:
Static Data: Limited by outdated training data (e.g., ChatGPT 3.5 last update Jan 2022); may hallucinate or provide dated/inaccurate information.
Real-Time Search: ChatGPT 4 uses Bing search but may still provide inaccurate details.
Google: Provides accurate, but link-based responses, requiring more user effort to find exact answers.
Perplexity AI: Aggregates and validates multiple sources to provide accurate, real-time answers.
Additional Features
Advanced Answer Customization
Focus Mode: Narrows search to specific types of sources (e.g., Reddit).
Attach Mode: Allows PDFs to be uploaded for specific research queries.
Collections: Customizable search collections for performing specific tasks.
Example: 'Competitive Blog Research' collection template for SEO and keyword analysis, providing structured results and identifying information gaps.
Future Outlook
Competitive Edge: Unclear what measures Google and ChatGPT will take to compete, as both have capabilities to provide similar aggregated search results.
Unique Value: Perplexity AI’s real-time, citation-backed, comprehensive answers reduce hallucinations commonly associated with other AI models.
Conclusion
Advantages: Powerful tool for reliable, real-time research with comprehensive, validated answers.
Queries: Open to user feedback and suggestions for future content.
Call to Action: Encourages viewers to subscribe for more content.