What Is Perplexity AI?

Perplexity, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered search engine, bills itself as the “Swiss Army Knife for information discovery and curiosity” [1]. It has been described as a research partner or search companion that uses natural language processing (NLP) to interpret and understand the intent of your search, enabling it to offer personalized, relevant recommendations based on your interactions with the model. 

Perplexity integrates web searching with AI to provide you with a response that not only answers your question but provides you with source citations as well. Many users believe that in addition to its strong summarization capabilities and time-saving source citation, the platform's ability to provide real-time information and integrate data from various sources sets it apart from its competitors. 

Dive deeper into the answer to the question “What is Perplexity AI?” while learning more about how you can use it, the platform’s key features, the basic technology behind how Perplexity AI works, and the pros and cons of using Perplexity AI versus ChatGPT and other AI platforms.

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Prompt Engineering, Generative AI, ChatGPT Advanced Data Analysis, ChatGPT, Problem Formulation for Generative AI, prompt patterns, Large Language Models, chain of thought prompting, Use ChatGPT to read and understand documents, Automate the editing and management of images and video while cataloging it, Amplify your presentations by having ChatGPT critique your slides or other important documents, Automate the extraction of structured data from documents and the creation of other documents and PowerPoint, Visualize complex data trapped in PDFs

How does Perplexity AI work?

Perplexity AI uses advanced natural language processing (systems that enable computers to understand human language) and machine learning (the process of using computers to detect patterns in large data sets and make predictions based on those patterns) to provide you with accurate answers to your questions.

Perplexity AI performs the following steps to provide you with concise, relevant responses:

• Understanding your question: Perplexity AI’s search function integrates a variety of existing large language models (LLMs)—GPT-4 Omni, Claude 3.5 Sonnet and Haiku, and Grok-2—while also incorporating their own in-house proprietary model to accurately interpret and understand the context of your question. When these LLMs work together to answer your question, the result can be more accurate and helpful than one obtained from a traditional search engine or an AI platform using only one LLM. 

• Searching the web: The AI then searches the internet for authoritative sources, such as articles, websites, and journals, that contain relevant information. To ensure trusted results, Perplexity uses a smaller index of information that reflects what users frequently ask Perplexity about. 

• Summarizing information: After compiling the pertinent information, the tool creates an easy-to-understand summary of the search. The platform uses its range of LLMs to identify the contextually relevant parts of the documents it locates to offer you an accurate answer.

• Citing sources: Perplexity uses LLMs trained to only provide information that they can find from multiple sources on the internet. By instructing the LLMs to offer not only a well-formatted answer but appropriate citation to the original source, Perplexity AI offers you easily verifiable information and the ability to dig deeper into your chosen topic. 

What is special about Perplexity AI?

Offering real-time search backed up with citations and sources makes Perplexity AI stand out. The following key features make Perplexity AI a practical choice for researchers and professionals interested in learning more about a topic or pursuing answers to everyday questions:

• Summarization: Perplexity moves beyond providing you with a list of links that contain the answer to your question. A search with Perplexity can give you a comprehensive answer in the form of a short summary, eliminating the need for the time-consuming task of sifting through multiple web links to gather all the information you need.

• Real-time searching: The platform continually collects, analyzes, and stores web content, resulting in up-to-date responses on recent news and events for you. Unlike other options, Perplexity provides real-time search results in a natural language format instead of a list of links to follow. 

• Citation and verification: A search with Perplexity provides not only answers but citations and sources as well, which makes it easier for you to verify and assess the reliability of the information you receive from your search. 

• Interaction: Upload your files to Perplexity and take advantage of the convenience of having your project in one place. You can ask questions about and analyze your documents while engaging in relevant web searches. Create a “Space” within Perplexity and invite colleagues or friends to collaborate with you on whatever you’re working on.

• Integration: Because Perplexity AI integrates a variety of advanced AI models into its search function, it can effectively interpret your intent. It also relies on an array of sources like academic journals, research papers, social media platforms, news articles, forums, and industry reports when answering your questions, which helps provide you with more well-rounded answers.

• Contextual memory: Perplexity’s Thread feature preserves the contents of your conversation with the chatbot. A thread includes your initial question, any follow-up questions, and all of Perplexity’s responses. You can name, share, edit, and flexibly access threads, adding to the ease with which you can access information. 

• Organization: Features such as Perplexity’s Focus filters, Spaces, and Pages can help you organize and manage your information and make collaboration more seamless.

• Options: When using Perplexity as your AI search engine, you have two options for conducting your search: Quick Search and Pro Search. As the name suggests, Quick Search gives fast answers with a quick summary of relevant information from the platform’s carefully indexed sources. On the other hand, Pro Search seeks a deeper understanding of your questions. When using this option, the AI may ask follow-up questions to refine your search and offer you answers that are more closely related to your initial question. The number of searches you are allotted per day varies based on the type of search and the subscription level you have.

What is Perplexity AI used for?

When reliable, up-to-date information with easily verifiable sources is a priority, consider using Perplexity as your AI-powered search engine. This versatile tool can be used in various ways, from professional to creative applications. 

Explore some examples of how you might use Perplexity AI:

• Questioning: Receive concise answers to questions ranging from the most simple to those that are complex and open-ended. 

• Learning: Gather feedback on your work, break down complex topics, or receive tutoring services with Perplexity AI’s interactive features. 

• Researching: Use Perplexity to assist in academic, market, legal, and other types of research. Perplexity can help you improve your information-gathering process with quick answers, in-depth searches, or creative inspiration.

• Analyzing: Summarize market forecasts, compare companies, and track market trends. Use the tool to analyze research and provide insights into a range of documents and images. 

• Planning: Create travel itineraries specific to your budget and preferences for destinations, accommodations, activities, dining, and more. Get updates in real-time regarding travel conditions and restrictions. 

• Supporting: Generate responses to customer inquiries, prioritize customer issues, and offer technical support.

• Shopping: Search for products, compare prices, analyze reviews from multiple websites, and even make purchases.

• Tracking: Monitor industry updates and remain current on the latest weather or sports scores with real-time updates.

Pros and cons of Perplexity AI

With numerous AI options available to you, knowing the benefits of choosing one over another can be helpful. As you decide which platform most closely meets your needs, consider the potential pros and cons of Perplexity AI versus ChatGPT and other AI platforms: 

Pros of Perplexity AI

• Accuracy: Because Perplexity gathers its information from various online sources and provides citations for these sources, it has received positive feedback from users regarding accuracy. 

• Personalization: Perplexity allows you to personalize your experience by setting preferences for formatting, personal interests, communication style, goals, and language and specifying special conditions. This can lead to responses that more closely meet your needs.

• Response quality: Diverse source integration combined with real-time data and citations make Perplexity’s concise summary responses relevant, insightful, and easy to understand.

Cons of Perplexity AI

• Limited creativity: While Perplexity does generate relevant and detailed summaries, other platforms may be better suited for use when creativity is paramount. Its ability to adjust for tone, style, and format of output is more limited than that of similar platforms. 

• Less human-like responses: Though practical and precise, you may find that Perplexity’s responses are less conversational and human-like than those from other platforms.

• Derivative: If you’re seeking an AI to use for content creation, Perplexity may not be your best choice. The platform tends to do better with researching and fact-checking versus other platforms like ChatGPT, which are more adept at idea and content generation. 

Getting started with Perplexity AI

Another perk of Perplexity AI is its user-friendly interface. The platform can guide you through signing up, logging in, and setting up your account—the first three steps of getting started. A free account can give you access to five Pro Searches per day, three file uploads, and the Collections, Threads, and Discover features [2].

Effective prompting is an important factor in generating accurate and relevant information with Perplexity. As you begin using Perplexity AI, consider the following tips for effective prompting:

• Give clear instructions on what you want the AI to do.

• Use specific details, terms, and keywords.

• Provide background information and context.

• Dictate a format for your response.

After signing up, you might find it helpful to personalize your settings and profile. As you adjust and update your preferences, Perplexity adjusts to better meet your specific needs. Perplexity AI makes it easy for you to ensure the information you receive is accurate, credible, and current. You can take advantage of the provided citations to verify your results. 

Learn more about Perplexity AI on Coursera

Perplexity is a versatile AI platform for times when you need to prioritize accurate, contextual information that can be easily verified. 

To learn more about the technology behind generative AIplatforms like Perplexity AI, consider enrolling in Generative AI for Everyone from DeepLearning.AI. For a more specialized learning opportunity, explore patterns, techniques, and approaches that can help you use generative AI more effectively with the Prompt Engineering Specialization from Vanderbilt University. Both of these options, as well as many others, are available on Coursera. 

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Generative AI for Everyone

Instructed by AI pioneer Andrew Ng, Generative AI for Everyone offers his unique perspective on empowering you and your work with generative AI. Andrew will ...

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Prompt Engineering

Become a Prompt Engineering Expert. Master prompt engineering patterns, techniques, and approaches to effectively leverage Generative AI

4.8

(2,503 ratings)

75,945 already enrolled

Beginner level

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Average time: 1 month(s)

Learn at your own pace

Skills you'll build:

Prompt Engineering, Generative AI, ChatGPT Advanced Data Analysis, ChatGPT, Problem Formulation for Generative AI, prompt patterns, Large Language Models, chain of thought prompting, Use ChatGPT to read and understand documents, Automate the editing and management of images and video while cataloging it, Amplify your presentations by having ChatGPT critique your slides or other important documents, Automate the extraction of structured data from documents and the creation of other documents and PowerPoint, Visualize complex data trapped in PDFs