Perplexity has launched an online browser, Comet, providing customers a take a look at how the corporate is evolving past AI search.
Whereas Comet shares acquainted traits with Chrome, it introduces a special interface mannequin. One the place customers can search, navigate, and run agent-like duties from a single AI-powered surroundings.
A Browser Designed for AI-Native Workflows
Comet is constructed on Chromium and helps customary browser options like tabs, extensions, and bookmarks.
What units it aside is the inclusion of a sidebar assistant that may summarize pages, automate duties, schedule conferences, and fill out kinds.
You may see it in motion within the launch video beneath:
In an interview, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas described Comet as a step towards combining search and automation right into a single system.
Srinivas mentioned:
“We give it some thought as an assistant fairly than an entire autonomous agent however one omni field the place you’ll be able to navigate, you’ll be able to ask formational queries and you may give agentic duties and your AI with you in your new tab web page, in your facet automobile, as an assistant on any net web page you might be, makes the browser really feel like extra like a cognitive working system fairly than simply one more browser.”
Perplexity sees Comet as a basis for agentic computing. Future use instances might contain real-time analysis, recurring activity administration, and private knowledge integration.
Technique Behind the Shift
Srinivas mentioned Comet isn’t only a product launch, it’s a long-term guess on browsers as the subsequent main interface for AI.
He described the transfer as a response to rising consumer demand for AI instruments that do greater than reply to queries in chat home windows.
Srinivas mentioned:
“The browser is far tougher to repeat than one more chat instrument.”
He acknowledged that OpenAI and Anthropic are more likely to launch related instruments, however believes the technical challenges of constructing and sustaining a browser create an extended runway for Perplexity to distinguish.
A Totally different Method From Google
Srinivas additionally commented on the aggressive panorama, together with how Perplexity’s technique differs from Google’s.
He pointed to the stress between AI-driven solutions and ad-based monetization as a limiting issue for conventional search engines like google.
Referring to go looking outcomes the place advertisers compete for placement, Srinivas mentioned:
“In the event you get direct solutions to those questions with reserving hyperlinks proper there, how are you going to mint cash from Reserving and Expedia and Kayak… It’s not of their incentive to present you good solutions in any respect.”
He additionally mentioned Google’s rollout of AI options has been slower than anticipated:
“The identical function is being launched yr after yr after yr with a special title, with a special VP, with a special group of individuals, however it’s the identical factor besides possibly it’s getting higher however it’s by no means getting launched to all people.”
Accuracy, Velocity, and UX as Priorities
Perplexity is positioning Comet round three core ideas: accuracy, low latency, and clear presentation.
Srinivas mentioned the corporate continues to put money into decreasing hallucinations and rushing up responses whereas maintaining consumer expertise on the heart.
Srinivas added:
“Let there exist 100 chat bots however we’re probably the most targeted on getting as many solutions proper as potential.”
Internally, the crew depends on AI growth instruments like Cursor and GitHub Copilot to speed up iteration and testing.
Srinivas famous:
“We made it necessary to make use of at the very least one AI coding instrument and internally at Perplexity it occurs to be Cursor and like a mixture of Cursor and GitHub Copilot.”
Srinivas mentioned the browser offers the construction wanted to help extra complicated workflows than a standalone chat interface.
What Comes Subsequent
Comet is at present accessible to customers on Perplexity’s Max plan via early entry invitations. A broader launch is predicted, together with plans for cellular help sooner or later.
Srinivas mentioned the corporate is exploring enterprise fashions past promoting, together with subscriptions, usage-based pricing, and affiliate transactions.
“All I do know is subscriptions and utilization primarily based pricing are going to be a factor. Transactions… taking a reduce out of the transactions is nice.”
Whereas he doesn’t count on to match Google’s margins, he sees room for a viable various.
“Google’s enterprise mannequin is doubtlessly the very best enterprise mannequin ever… Possibly it was so good that you just wanted AI to kill it principally.”
Wanting Forward
Comet’s launch marks a shift in how AI instruments are being built-in into consumer workflows.
Relatively than including assistant options into present merchandise, Perplexity is constructing a brand new interface from the bottom up, designed round velocity, reasoning, and activity execution.
As the corporate continues to construct round this mannequin, Comet might function a take a look at case for the way customers interact with AI past conventional search.
Featured Picture: Ascannio/Shutterstock
