Perplexity revolutionises search with AI-powered approach

Perplexity's platform uses generative AI to provide users with direct answers to their questions, bypassing traditional search

Noah Johnson - May 18, 2024

The founders of Perplexity Johnny Ho, Aravind Srinivas and Denis Yarats, left to right. — Perplexity

Imagine having a search engine that gives you direct answers to your questions, no more scrolling through endless links. San Francisco-based AI search engine startup 'Perplexity' is making this a reality.

With its innovative AI-based approach, Perplexity is challenging Google's dominance in the search engine market. And, it's gaining traction with top tech veterans joining its advisory board.

Perplexity's platform uses generative AI to provide users with direct answers to their questions, bypassing traditional search results pages.

This approach simplifies the user experience, providing concise and accurate answers. The Pro version offers access to large models from various languages, including OpenAI's GPT-4, Anthropic's Claude, and Google's Gemini, allowing users to customise their search experience.

Perplexity has raised $73.6 million in its latest funding round, led by IVP, with participation from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Nvidia, and Shopify co-founder Tobias Lütke. This funding round valued Perplexity at approximately $520 million. The investment illustrates the growing interest and belief in AI-powered search technologies, as reported by PC Tablet.

Since its launch, Perplexity has grown rapidly, amassing more than 10 million monthly active users and handling more than half a billion queries in 2023 alone. The company's mobile apps have been installed by more than one million users on both the iOS and Android platforms. This significant user base highlights the growing demand for AI-powered search solutions.

Perplexity has tremendous growth, but it still has a lot of challenges to get past to compete with Google, which commands nearly 90% of the search engine market. Google's long-standing dominance and vast resources make it a formidable competitor.

However, Perplexity's founders believe their approach can gain a significant foothold in the market by offering a more efficient and user-friendly search experience.