What is Perplexity AI?

Himanshi Singh Last Updated : 15 Mar, 2024
6 min read

Introduction

Google has long reigned supreme as the digital gatekeeper, holding unparalleled influence over the vast landscape of the online world. It’s an information titan, handling billions of queries daily, with a user base that spans across the globe. Its algorithm, founded on keyword matching and user behavior analysis, has established the benchmark for swift and pertinent search results. This has rendered it an essential component of online existence for billions of users. However, even big players can experience changes, and the online search landscape is undergoing significant shifts. Emerging from this dynamic environment is Perplexity AI & how perplexity ai work, a challenger wielding the power of generative AI and a bold vision for the future of information retrieval.

Perplexity AI

The Rise of Perplexity AI

Launched in 2022, it represents a paradigm shift in how we interact with the internet’s vast reservoir of knowledge. Unlike its predecessors, it doesn’t just rely on surface-level keywords. Instead, it delves deep into understanding the context and nuance of user queries through advanced NLP and LLMs.

Perplexity AI is a search engine that uses generative AI to provide users instant answers to their questions in natural language. Perplexity AI’s platform uses various GenAI models developed in-house and by third parties, including OpenAI and Meta’s open-source model Llama. Its main feature is its chatbot-like interface that allows users to ask questions in natural language, and the AI responds with a summary containing source citations. This is strikingly in contrast to how we are used to searching on Google, which just bombards us with a list of relevant pages but nothing more than that.

Also Read- The Comparison: Perplexity AI vs ChatGPT

How Perplexity AI works

Working on Perplexity AI is a simple process; you only need to input your query directly into the platform. Whether you seek factual information, explanations, or insights on a specific topic, formulating your query concisely will help Perplexity AI understand your information needs effectively.

Perplexity AI

Then, Perplexity AI generates a results page that presents accurate and concise answers to your queries. 

Perplexity AI

If you notice, this is similar to the response you would get from an LLM, direct and to the point. But unlike the search results you get on Google, which bombards you with a list of links, Perplexity AI uses the most relevant pages from the internet and then uses LLM to generate the relevant answer. Voila!

By embracing alternative search approaches such as Perplexity AI, users can overcome the limitations of traditional search engines and gain access to unbiased and trustworthy knowledge resources!

Here is the link to access Perplexity AI:

Why Perplexity AI Matters?

The Need for Unbiased Information

In today’s digital age, access to unbiased information is crucial. With traditional search engines like Google, there can be biases in search results due to various factors such as personalization and advertising. Perplexity AI addresses this issue by prioritizing unbiased information and presenting users with a wider range of perspectives.

Challenging the Dominance of Google

Google has long been the dominant player in the search engine market, with over 90% market share globally. While Google has undoubtedly transformed the way we find information, there are concerns about its monopoly and potential limitations in delivering truly objective results. Perplexity AI offers an alternative that challenges this dominance and gives users more choices.

You can also read 12 AI Tools That Can Generate Code To Help Programmers

Features of Perplexity AI

Contextual Understanding

At its core is the ability to interpret and respond to the context of queries using large language models and NLP. This allows Perplexity AI to deliver more accurate, nuanced, and relevant search results, especially for complex or specialized questions. Instead of just links, you’ll get well-rounded responses, diverse sources, images, and videos seamlessly integrated.

Real-Time Information Retrieval

Stay ahead of the curve with Perplexity AI’s ability to fetch up-to-date information. This allows you to query any latest information. 

Transparent Source Citation

Building trust is paramount. It openly cites its information sources, lending credibility to its results and empowering users to delve deeper into original content. This commitment to transparency combats misinformation and promotes knowledge exploration with confidence.

In addition to textual search capabilities, perplexity.ai incorporates advanced image and video generation and search functionalities. Users can generate high-quality images based on specific prompts or keywords. 

Query on uploads

With Perplexity AI, you can upload images, text, or PDFs and write a query based on the upload. 

Advanced features

There are many advanced features that perplexity.ai offers to enhance your search experience. For example, it has a Copilot mode that uses GPT-4 and provides more refined and customized prompts. It also allows you to choose from various LLMs that can be used instead for answering queries. You can choose any LLM from GPT-2, Gemini, or Clause 2.1, although these features are available in a paid version.

Perplexity Pro: The Paid Version

Despite the amazing functionality in the free version of perplexity.ai, there are some amazing functionalities in the paid version.

Let’s delve into the key aspects of the paid version, including Unlimited Copilot Queries, Effortless File Uploads, AI Model Selection, and API Credits.

Unlimited Copilot Queries

With the paid version, you can access unlimited Copilot queries. This means you can leverage the power of Perplexity’s advanced language models without limitations, allowing you to explore a wide range of topics and questions without constraints.

Effortless File Uploads

One standout feature of the paid version is the ability to upload files for analysis effortlessly. Whether you’re working with documents, images, or other media types, perplexity.ai streamlines the process, enabling seamless extraction of valuable insights from your files.

AI Model Selection

In the paid version, users can select specific AI models based on their requirements. This empowers you to tailor the search experience according to your preferences and the nature of your inquiries, ensuring a more personalized and refined output.

API Credits

The availability of API credits is a crucial advantage for those integrating Perplexity AI into their applications or workflows. These credits enable seamless interactions with Perplexity’s capabilities through its API, opening up extensive customization and integration opportunities with existing systems.

Multimodal search

With the paid version, you can generate images. perplexity.ai has incorporated the DALL-E model into its platform for such capabilities.

By unlocking these premium features through the paid version of perplexity.ai, users can elevate their search and knowledge discovery experiences, harnessing the full potential of this innovative platform.

Conclusion

The emergence of a new search player like Perplexity AI certainly challenges the traditional way we search on Google. This paradigm shift prioritizes unbiased information, offering transparency and diverse perspectives. Advanced features like multimodal search and transparent source citation set it apart from traditional engines. This, along with the advanced features in its paid version, makes perplexity.ai a promising alternative, breaking the mold of conventional search engines and empowering users to personalize and transparently navigate the vast online knowledge landscape. 

Do let us know in the comments below if you find this way of searching much better than the usual Google search that you are used to!

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Frequently Asked Questions?

Q1. Is perplexity better than ChatGPT?

A. It depends on what you need. Perplexity focuses on language generation tasks, while ChatGPT specializes in conversation and understanding human language. So, if you want a chatbot, ChatGPT might be better. But if you need text generation specifically, Perplexity could be a good choice.

Q2. What does Perplexity AI do?

A. Perplexity AI generates text based on given prompts or inputs. It’s good for tasks like writing stories, generating code, or creating product descriptions.

Q3. Does Perplexity AI use GPT?

A. Yes, perplexity.ai uses a version of the GPT model to generate text.

Q4. How much does perplexity cost?

A. The cost of Perplexity AI can vary depending on factors like usage, features, and licensing. You’d need to check with the provider for current pricing details.

I’m a data lover who enjoys finding hidden patterns and turning them into useful insights. As the Manager - Content and Growth at Analytics Vidhya, I help data enthusiasts learn, share, and grow together. 

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