In the ever-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, Perplexity AI has emerged as a groundbreaking conversational search engine. Founded in August 2022, this innovative platform leverages large language models (LLMs) to provide users with comprehensive and contextually relevant answers to their queries, complete with inline citations from web sources. Let's delve into the history, services, and impact of this rapidly growing AI company.
Perplexity AI was founded by a team of accomplished engineers with backgrounds in AI, machine learning, and backend systems:
This diverse team came together to create a search engine that goes beyond traditional keyword-based results, offering a more intuitive and informative user experience.
Perplexity AI operates on a freemium model, offering both free and paid subscription options to cater to a wide range of users.
The free plan utilizes Perplexity's standalone LLM, based on GPT-3.5 with browsing capabilities. Key features include:
Perplexity Pro unlocks a suite of advanced features for power users:
Launched in November 2024, Perplexity's shopping hub provides users with product cards showcasing relevant items in response to shopping-related questions. This feature is backed by Amazon and Nvidia, offering a seamless and informative shopping experience.
Designed for Pro and Enterprise Pro users, Internal Knowledge Search enables simultaneous searching across web content and internal documents. Users can upload and search through various file formats, with Enterprise Pro users having a limit of 500 files for upload and indexing.
In October 2024, Perplexity AI introduced finance-related features, including real-time stock prices, company earnings data, industry peer comparisons, and basic financial analysis tools. The platform sources its financial data from Financial Modeling Prep (FMP) to ensure accuracy.
Launched in January 2025, the Perplexity Assistant is an AI-powered tool integrated into the Perplexity app for Android devices. It performs tasks across multiple apps, maintains context across actions, and utilizes the phone's camera for visual information retrieval.
Perplexity AI has experienced significant growth and investment since its inception:
Perplexity AI represents a paradigm shift in how we access and interact with information. By leveraging the power of large language models and focusing on a conversational search experience, Perplexity AI is poised to become a leading player in the AI-driven search engine market. As the company continues to innovate and expand its services, it will undoubtedly shape the future of information retrieval and online interaction.
