Perplexity AI, an artificial intelligence-powered search engine, has successfully raised over $73 million in its latest funding round. The funding saw the entry of prominent investors including Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, and Nvidia. With this fresh injection of funds, Perplexity AI’s valuation has now reached $530 million, highlighting the rapid growth of the company in the AI sector.
The founder of Perplexity AI, Aravind Srinivas, has set his sights on dethroning Google as the dominant search engine. Srinivas envisions a future where users can receive direct answers to their queries without the need to navigate through numerous links. In an interview with Reuters, Srinivas stated, “If you can directly answer somebody’s question, nobody needs those 10 blue links.” This approach aims to streamline the user experience by providing concise and accurate information.
Perplexity AI differentiates itself from Google by presenting search results in the form of straightforward paragraphs rather than displaying links. This enhances the accuracy and transparency of the information provided. The search engine operates using OpenAI’s GPT 3.5 model and employs a chatbot-like interface to facilitate natural language processing.
In addition to its search capabilities, Perplexity AI offers a diverse range of tools. Its Swiss Army Knife tool stands out as it can suggest solutions for a variety of queries, whether factual or conceptual. Consequently, Perplexity AI is utilized extensively in academic research, content marketing, business intelligence, and educational tools.
While the basic version of Perplexity AI is currently available for free, the company also offers a Pro version for $20 per month. The Pro version employs more advanced models, GPT-4 and Claude-2, to enhance the search experience further.
By securing substantial funding and attracting major investors, Perplexity AI has positioned itself as a formidable competitor to Google. Its mission to deliver accurate and direct answers to user queries signifies a potential shift in the search engine landscape. As the AI-powered search engine continues to evolve, its impact on various sectors, from academia to business intelligence, is expected to be profound.