News/Perplexity
Firefox adds Perplexity AI as default search engine option
Mozilla has officially added Perplexity AI as a default search engine option in Firefox for desktop users, expanding beyond an earlier limited test. The integration brings conversational AI-powered search with citations directly to Firefox's address bar, positioning Mozilla to compete with other browsers offering AI-enhanced search capabilities. What you should know: Perplexity provides conversational answers with citations, allowing users to validate information without navigating through multiple search result pages. Users can access Perplexity through the unified search button in Firefox's address bar alongside traditional search engines. Mozilla plans to bring Perplexity to mobile Firefox browsers "in the coming months," though...
read Oct 3, 2025Words at a loss: Perplexity makes AI browser free despite massive compute costs
Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas announced Wednesday that the company's Comet web browser will soon be free for all users, despite the significant compute costs associated with its autonomous AI capabilities. The move positions Perplexity, an AI-powered search company, to challenge established players while highlighting the complex economics facing AI companies as they scale their most resource-intensive features. Why this matters: The decision to offer compute-heavy AI browsing for free illustrates how startups can exploit advantages that tech giants like Google cannot easily replicate due to their massive user bases and existing infrastructure constraints. Key details: The browser's autonomous, agentic features...
read Oct 2, 2025Perplexity AI makes $200 Comet browser free worldwide
Perplexity AI has made its artificial intelligence-powered web browser Comet available worldwide for free, expanding access beyond its previous $200-per-month subscription model for Perplexity Max users. The move positions Perplexity to compete more aggressively with tech giants like Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic in the rapidly evolving AI browser space, while potentially attracting millions of users who were previously on the waitlist. What you should know: Comet functions as a comprehensive personal assistant that can handle multiple web-based tasks beyond traditional browsing. The browser can search the web, organize tabs, draft emails, shop online, and perform other productivity tasks using AI...
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Perplexity launches $200 monthly AI email assistant for Gmail and Outlook
Perplexity has launched Email Assistant, an AI-powered tool that integrates with Gmail and Outlook to manage emails, draft responses, and schedule meetings. However, the service comes with a steep price tag of $200 monthly, as it's exclusively available to Perplexity Max subscribers, making it one of the more expensive AI email solutions on the market. What you should know: Email Assistant offers comprehensive inbox management capabilities but requires users to interact through a specific email address. Users must either email [email protected] or CC the address in email threads to activate the AI assistant. The tool can draft replies in the...
read Sep 23, 2025Perplexity launches AI-powered Comet browser in India with Pro-only access
Perplexity has launched its AI-powered Comet browser in India on September 22, 2025, marking the company's expansion into the competitive browser market. The launch brings AI-enhanced browsing capabilities to Indian users, though availability remains limited to specific platforms and user tiers. What you should know: The browser is currently available with significant platform restrictions across different user categories. Android users can pre-register for Comet on the Google Play Store, though no specific launch date has been announced for actual usage. Windows and macOS users with Perplexity Pro subscriptions can already download and use the browser. iOS availability has been delayed...
read Sep 12, 2025Even dictionaries sue Perplexity AI over copyright infringement (but also false attributions)
Merriam-Webster and Encyclopedia Britannica have filed a federal lawsuit against Perplexity AI, alleging the company's "answer engine" unlawfully scrapes and copies their copyrighted content without permission or compensation. The lawsuit also claims Perplexity generates false AI hallucinations that are wrongly attributed to the dictionary and encyclopedia publishers, seeking unspecified monetary damages and an injunction to stop the alleged misuse. What you should know: This marks the latest in a growing series of copyright lawsuits targeting Perplexity's content practices across multiple industries. The complaint was filed in New York federal court and seeks both monetary damages and a court order blocking...
read Sep 3, 2025PayPal offers 430M users free $200 Perplexity AI browser trial
PayPal and Venmo users in the U.S. and select global markets will receive early access to Perplexity's new AI-powered Comet browser through a free 12-month trial of the startup's Pro subscription, worth $200 annually. This partnership gives the Nvidia-backed AI search company access to PayPal's 430 million users while positioning PayPal's new subscriptions hub as a gateway for premium digital services. What you should know: The collaboration marks one of the first major offerings in PayPal's newly launched subscriptions management hub, which helps users track and manage recurring payments. Users can sign up for Perplexity Pro directly through the PayPal...
read Aug 25, 2025Perplexity launches $5 monthly Comet Plus sharing 80% revenue with publishers
Perplexity has launched Comet Plus, a new $5 monthly subscription that shares revenue with publishers when AI agents use their content to answer questions. The initiative addresses growing concerns about AI companies using publisher content without fair compensation, offering an 80% revenue split to participating publications. What you should know: Comet Plus represents a new approach to compensating publishers for AI-driven content usage beyond traditional web traffic. Publishers will receive 80% of the $5 monthly subscription fee, with the remaining 20% allocated to computing costs. The subscription gives users access to premium content from a group of trusted publishers and...
read Aug 13, 2025Perplexity AI makes $34.5B bid for Chrome amid Google antitrust breakup
Perplexity AI, an artificial intelligence search company, has submitted a $34.5 billion bid to acquire Google's Chrome browser, marking the first public attempt by an outside party to break up a key piece of the tech giant. The dramatic move comes as Google awaits a federal judge's decision on potential antitrust remedies, with the Department of Justice explicitly calling for Chrome's divestiture to level the playing field for search competitors. What you should know: Google faces its most significant antitrust challenge since the Microsoft case over two decades ago, with Chrome at the center of the dispute. A federal ruling...
read Aug 12, 2025New home for Chrome? Perplexity AI bids $34.5B for top browser as Google faces divestiture pressure
Perplexity AI has made an unsolicited $34.5 billion bid to acquire Google's Chrome browser, according to reports from the Wall Street Journal and CNBC. The surprise offer comes as Google faces a pending antitrust ruling that could force the tech giant to divest Chrome, with the Justice Department seeking to break up Google's browser monopoly. Why this matters: The bid represents a bold move by Perplexity to acquire one of the world's most dominant web browsers, potentially reshaping the competitive landscape in search and browsing technology. The numbers: Perplexity's offer significantly exceeds its own $18 billion valuation, with the AI...
read Aug 8, 2025Perplexity denies Airtel users get downgraded AI search service
Perplexity, an AI-powered search engine company, has denied allegations that Airtel customers receive a downgraded version of its AI search tool, following viral social media claims suggesting the telecom partnership delivers inferior service. The company's clarification comes as misinformation spreads on Reddit about the collaboration, which provides Indian users with free access to Perplexity Pro features worth Rs 17,000 annually. What they're saying: Jesse Dwyer from Perplexity.ai directly addressed the controversy, emphasizing the partnership's authenticity. "Having worked personally with the Airtel team throughout this partnership, and also being familiar with the specific terms of this deal, I can assure you...
read Aug 7, 2025Truth Social launches AI search powered by Perplexity amid legal battles
Trump's Truth Social has launched Truth Search AI, a beta AI search engine powered by Perplexity, currently available on the web with mobile versions coming soon. The move represents the platform's effort to expand beyond social media into AI-powered search, despite Perplexity facing multiple legal challenges from major publishers for content scraping practices. What you should know: Trump Media & Technology Group says the AI search tool will "exponentially increase the amount of information available to its users." The feature is currently in beta testing for web users, with iOS and Android versions planned for release soon. Trump Media CEO...
read Aug 6, 2025Google’s new AI agent outperforms OpenAI and Perplexity on research benchmarks
Google researchers have developed Test-Time Diffusion Deep Researcher (TTD-DR), a new AI framework that outperforms leading research agents from OpenAI, Perplexity, and others on key benchmarks. The system mimics human writing processes by using diffusion mechanisms and evolutionary algorithms to iteratively refine research reports, potentially powering a new generation of enterprise research assistants for complex business tasks like competitive analysis and market entry reports. The big picture: Unlike current AI research agents that follow rigid linear processes, TTD-DR treats report creation as a diffusion process where an initial "noisy" draft is progressively refined into a polished final report. The framework...
read Aug 5, 2025Perplexity pushes back, calls Cloudflare’s AI crawler claims “embarrassing errors”
Perplexity has fired back at Cloudflare's accusations that the AI company uses stealth crawlers to bypass website restrictions, calling the claims "embarrassing errors" and questioning Cloudflare's technical competence. The dispute escalates a growing battle over AI companies' data collection practices, with Perplexity accusing Cloudflare, a content delivery network provider, of fundamental misunderstandings about how modern AI assistants operate. The original accusations: Cloudflare claimed Perplexity was disguising its web crawlers as regular Chrome browsers to scrape content from sites that had explicitly blocked its official bots through robots.txt files and firewall rules.• The CDN company said it observed Perplexity rotating through...
read Aug 4, 2025Cloudflare accuses Perplexity AI of shady North Korea-style scraping
Cloudflare has accused Perplexity AI of acting like "North Korean hackers" after discovering the AI search company's bots repeatedly circumventing anti-scraping measures to crawl websites without permission. This escalation in the ongoing battle over AI data collection could significantly undermine Perplexity's ability to index content, as Cloudflare, an internet infrastructure provider, has now delisted the company as a "verified bot" and implemented hard blocks against its web crawlers. What happened: Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince publicly called out Perplexity AI on Monday for invasive web crawling practices that violate website protection measures. An investigation revealed Perplexity was "repeatedly modifying" its web-crawling...
read Jul 11, 2025AI browsers replace search with autonomous agents that act for users
When Perplexity launched its Comet browser this week, the AI search company wasn't just releasing another Chrome alternative. It was demonstrating the next evolution in artificial intelligence: applications that think, plan, and act independently on behalf of users. Within hours, Reuters confirmed that OpenAI plans to launch its own AI-powered browser "in the coming weeks," validating that the future belongs to what industry experts call "agentic applications." This isn't merely about browsers competing for market share. Perplexity's Comet represents a fundamental shift toward AI-native software that rebuilds entire workflows around autonomous capabilities, rather than simply adding chatbot features to existing...
read Jul 9, 2025Perplexity’s new Comet browser passes through cyberspace with built-in AI assistant
Perplexity AI has launched Comet, its first web browser designed to challenge Google Chrome's 68% market dominance by integrating conversational AI directly into browsing sessions. The Chromium-based browser transforms passive web searches into real-time conversations through its built-in Comet Assistant, allowing users to ask questions about any webpage without opening new tabs or switching between sites. What makes Comet different: The browser integrates Perplexity's conversational AI directly into every browsing session through the Comet Assistant sidebar. Users can ask questions about any page they're viewing, whether shopping for products, booking hotels, or summarizing news stories. The assistant eliminates the need...
read Jul 7, 2025Perplexity AI launches $200 monthly Max plan for unlimited research
Perplexity AI, the search engine that combines traditional web search with artificial intelligence to provide conversational answers, has launched its most expensive subscription tier yet. The new Perplexity Max plan costs $200 per month—or $2,000 annually—positioning the company alongside other premium AI services in an increasingly competitive market. This pricing strategy reflects a broader trend among AI companies targeting power users willing to pay premium rates for enhanced capabilities. The move comes as businesses and professionals increasingly rely on AI tools for research, content creation, and strategic analysis, creating demand for more sophisticated features and unlimited access. What Perplexity Max...
read Jun 23, 2025Perplexity launches Comet browser for Windows as Apple eyes $14B acquisition
Perplexity is expanding its AI browser Comet to Windows users through a selective testing program, following its initial macOS beta launch in May. This development comes amid reports that Apple executives are considering acquiring the AI search company for what could be Apple's largest acquisition ever at $14 billion. What you should know: Comet is a Chromium-based browser that replaces traditional search engines with Perplexity AI's conversational search experience. The browser provides curated responses to queries similar to Google's AI Mode, complete with source links and product purchase options. Built-in features include an ad blocker, page summarization, and an Ask...
read Jun 23, 2025AI platforms quietly court advertisers at Cannes Lions 2025
AI platforms made their first quiet moves into advertising at Cannes Lions 2025, with companies like Perplexity and Anthropic sending ad executives to the festival for early-stage conversations with agencies and brands. The stealth approach signals AI platforms' inevitable shift toward advertising revenue as their high infrastructure costs demand sustainable monetization strategies. What you should know: Major AI platforms are laying the groundwork for advertising businesses despite maintaining low public profiles at the industry's biggest marketing event. Perplexity sent Taz Patel, its head of advertising and shopping, to meet with agency and brand leads about the company's current ad capabilities...
read Jun 23, 2025Apple reportedly considers $14B Perplexity deal to improve AI search
Apple is reportedly considering acquiring AI search startup Perplexity in what would be the iPhone maker's largest acquisition in company history. The potential $14 billion deal would give Apple access to Perplexity's AI-powered search engine and chatbot technology, which serves around 15 million users as a leading ChatGPT alternative, helping Apple accelerate development of its own search capabilities and enhance Siri's intelligence. What you should know: Apple's head of mergers and acquisitions Adrian Perica has been in early-stage discussions with top executives about a potential Perplexity offer, though no bid has been made yet. Executives from both companies have met...
read Jun 20, 2025Meta pursued Perplexity acquisition before $14.3B Scale AI deal
Meta approached AI search startup Perplexity AI about a potential acquisition before ultimately investing $14.3 billion in Scale AI, according to sources familiar with the negotiations. The failed talks underscore CEO Mark Zuckerberg's aggressive strategy to strengthen Meta's AI capabilities amid intensifying competition with OpenAI and Google, as the company pursues multiple high-profile deals and talent acquisitions. What you should know: The Perplexity discussions did not result in a deal, with sources offering conflicting accounts of how the talks ended. One person familiar with the matter described the outcome as "mutually dissolved," while another said Perplexity walked away from the...
read Jun 20, 2025BBC threatens legal action against Perplexity for unauthorized content use
The BBC has threatened legal action against US-based AI company Perplexity, accusing the firm of reproducing BBC content "verbatim" without permission through its chatbot. This marks the first time the world's largest public broadcaster has taken such action against an AI company, highlighting escalating tensions between media organizations and AI firms over unauthorized content use. What you should know: The BBC sent a formal legal letter to Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas demanding immediate cessation of BBC content use, deletion of stored material, and financial compensation. The letter states this "constitutes copyright infringement in the UK and breach of the BBC's...
read Jun 16, 2025Perplexity expands publisher program to 100+ media partners with revenue sharing
Perplexity has expanded its Publishers Program to include over 100 media partners, up from the original 10 when it launched about a year ago. The program compensates news outlets and publishers for content used to train AI models and generate responses, addressing growing concerns about fair compensation for content creators in the AI era. What you should know: The program has grown exponentially and now includes major publications like TIME, Der Spiegel, Fortune, and The Texas Tribune. Publishers receive both attribution through citations and direct revenue sharing based on how often their content is referenced in user queries. "We would...
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