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Perplexity AI has made a significant advancement in artificial intelligence. Its Comet browser is now globally available and free of charge.
The browser is designed to serve as a digital assistant. It allows users to surf the web, compose emails, manage tabs, and perform basic tasks. The company has marketed Comet as something greater than a search-and-browse utility. Early users are calling it a means to ‘reimagine the internet experience’ by integrating search, productivity, and automation into one seamless experience.
Comet was initially launched in July as a limited product for Perplexity Max subscribers, who contributed Rs 16,600 ($200) monthly. The limited release generated a lot of hype, with the firm stating that the waitlist to access ballooned into the millions.
The decision to offer Comet browser for free is considered a strategic move. By lowering the high subscription barrier, Perplexity aims to rapidly expand its user base. This would position the platform as a mass-market choice before competitors solidify their hold.
CEO and co-founder Aravind Srinivas will appear on CNBC TV on Friday to discuss the launch. He has mentioned in previous interviews that user adoption and accessibility are central to Perplexity’s long-term growth strategy. Once users adopt Comet, the company thinks it will be more inclined to pay for add-ons such as the Plus version through a paid subscription.
The AI browser race has intensified over the past year.
Google integrated its Gemini model into Chrome in September.
Anthropic rolled out a browser-based AI agent in August.
OpenAI launched Operator in January, an agent capable of completing tasks online without user intervention.
In August, Perplexity came into the news by placing a surprise $34.5 billion offer on Google’s Chrome browser, an aggressive gesture that underlined its resolve to take on the sector’s heavyweight head-on.
Perplexity is renowned for its artificial intelligence-based search engine, which provides concise answers to user queries, citing relevant sources. The popularity of the tool sparked controversy the previous year when media organisations accused the company of plagiarism.
As a response, Perplexity rolled out a revenue-sharing scheme with publishers, vowing to return value to media companies. Following that, the company released Comet Plus in August, a pay tier that provides content from reputable sources. Early publishing partners are CNN, Conde Nast, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Fortune, Le Monde, and Le Figaro.
Also Read: How to Use Perplexity’s Comet Browser and Email Assistant: Quick Guide
The browser will further expand, with Perplexia hinting at a mobile app and Background Assistant, a feature that can multitask and run asynchronously. By offering Comet for free, Perplexity is wagering on user trust and scale, as well as publisher partnerships, to establish itself as a leader in the saturated AI space.
Success with the browser may determine whether Perplexity can hold its own against the likes of Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic in transforming the way humans interact with the internet.
