Perplexity Launches Comet: The AI-Powered Web Browser

Perplexity Launches Comet, an AI-Powered Web Browser

On Wednesday, Perplexity introduced Comet, its inaugural AI-driven web browser. This launch signifies the company’s newest endeavor to position itself as a competitor to Google Search as the primary tool for online information retrieval.

Initial Availability

Initially, Comet will be accessible to subscribers of Perplexity’s Max plan, priced at $200 monthly. Access will also be granted to a limited number of individuals who previously registered on a waitlist.

Comet’s defining characteristic is the pre-installation of Perplexity’s AI search engine, established as the default. This places the company’s central offering – AI-generated summaries of search results – at the forefront.

Comet Assistant Features

Users can utilize Comet Assistant, a novel AI agent integrated within the browser. This agent is designed to automate common tasks.

• It can summarize emails and calendar appointments.
• It manages browser tabs efficiently.
• It facilitates web page navigation on the user’s behalf.

Comet Assistant is accessed via a side panel on any webpage, allowing the AI agent to analyze the page content and respond to user inquiries.

Strategic Importance of Comet

Perplexity has unveiled several products recently, but Comet is considered particularly significant. CEO Aravind Srinivas has extensively promoted Comet’s release, potentially viewing it as crucial in Perplexity’s competition with Google.

By launching Comet, Perplexity aims to directly engage users, bypassing the need to rely on Google Chrome, the currently dominant browser. AI-powered browsers represent a new frontier for many, yet Google acknowledges this trend, having integrated AI features into Chrome and developed its own AI search product.

Long-Term Vision

Srinivas articulated a vision for Comet as an “operating system” capable of handling a wide range of tasks. This would enable Perplexity’s AI to assist users across various applications and websites.

Establishing Comet as the default browser could lead to “infinite retention,” according to Srinivas, resulting in increased usage of Perplexity’s services.

Competitive Landscape

Comet enters a competitive market. While Google Chrome and Apple’s Safari dominate, The Browser Company launched Dia, an AI-powered browser with similar features, in June.

Furthermore, OpenAI is reportedly developing its own browser to challenge Google, and has recently recruited key personnel from the original Google Chrome team.

Growth and Potential

Comet may gain an initial advantage if a substantial portion of Perplexity’s user base adopts the browser. Srinivas reported 780 million queries in May and a monthly growth rate exceeding 20% for the company’s search products.

Challenging Google Search is a considerable undertaking. However, Perplexity’s decision to launch its own browser appears strategically sound. Convincing users to switch browsers, however, may prove more challenging than shifting them away from Google Search.

Exploring the Capabilities of Comet

A particularly distinguishing feature of this browser appears to be the Comet Assistant. Our evaluations revealed that Perplexity’s AI agent demonstrates surprising efficacy with straightforward tasks, however, its performance diminishes considerably when confronted with more intricate requests. Fully leveraging Comet Assistant also necessitates granting a substantial degree of access to Perplexity, which some users may find concerning.

Currently, my preferred method of utilizing Comet Assistant involves loading it in the side panel while navigating the web. The on-browser AI agent from Perplexity can automatically recognize the content I am viewing, allowing me to pose questions directly without the need to open a new tab or copy and paste text or URLs. Its contextual awareness, based on my current browsing activity, is a significant advantage.

Comet Assistant successfully answered inquiries regarding posts on social media platforms, YouTube videos, and even text I was actively composing in a Google Document. This functionality has the potential to streamline workflows for the numerous individuals who routinely share screenshots, files, and links with ChatGPT throughout their day.

Subsequently, I attempted to have Comet Assistant access my Google Calendar. However, prior to doing so, I was required to provide Perplexity with extensive access to my Google Account – a rather broad range of permissions. The length of the required permissions list is noteworthy.

I must admit, granting Perplexity the ability to view my screen, send emails, access my contacts, and schedule events on my Calendar did raise some concerns. It appears, however, that this level of access is often necessary for AI agents to function effectively.

Despite these concerns, Comet Assistant performed admirably when examining my Calendar. It alerted me to upcoming appointments and provided suggestions regarding departure times and public transportation routes to reach those destinations.

The assistant was also capable of summarizing emails received from significant senders – in my case, prominent startups and technology companies announcing upcoming news. While AI agents often struggle to discern important information within an email inbox, Comet Assistant demonstrated a relatively strong performance in this area.

However, Comet Assistant encounters difficulties with more complex assignments. As an example, I requested assistance in locating long-term parking near San Francisco’s airport for an upcoming trip, specifically options with positive reviews and a daily rate under $15.

The assistant presented several possibilities that appeared to meet the specified criteria. I then asked it to reserve a space at one of the locations for my travel dates. The agent navigated to the parking facility’s website, inputted the dates, and even some of my personal information, before requesting my review and confirmation of the details.

It became apparent that Comet Assistant fabricated information and entered incorrect dates, subsequently informing me that my desired dates were unavailable, yet still prompting me to proceed with checkout. I had to reiterate the non-negotiable nature of the dates and request an alternative location. The same error occurred again.

Instances of AI agents making critical errors like these are not uncommon. My experiences with OpenAI’s Operator and Perplexity’s earlier shopping agent yielded comparable outcomes. Evidently, hallucinations represent a significant obstacle to the development of these products into practical tools. Until AI developers can resolve this issue, AI agents will remain largely a novelty for intricate tasks.

Nonetheless, Comet does introduce some novel capabilities that could potentially position Perplexity favorably against its competitors in the evolving landscape of web browsers.