Inside Perplexity AI, the search chatbot that could beat Google

For years now, I’ve predicted that someday, somehow, someone would create a search tool that would rival Google. Some say it’s already happened with ChatGPT. But it’s loaded with problems. 

I’m betting that history is about to repeat itself with a small AI search website with only 40 employees operating out of a small shared office in San Francisco … kinda like the early days of Google. 

Flying under the radar, sorta

The website is Perplexity AI. It started two years ago, but the owners kept a low profile to work out the bugs and make their AI search reliable. Perplexity has only 10 million users a month. Google processes over 8.5 billion searches per day.

But as of Jan. 1, it has the backing of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who’s betting big on the Google challenger. He and his partners just invested $74 million. (Jeff, call me.) 

I tested it with questions ChatGPT gets wrong. So far, Perplexity is spot on. The best part is that it’s free.

Spot on, you say?

It seems to dig much deeper than the other AI chatbots I’ve used. Makes sense since it’s designed for research. You’ll see citations and sources all over the place. I wish ChatGPT did this.

Here’s a good example. I asked, “Does Kim Komando have a dog?” It brought up quotes about my girl Abby and even showed me a picture of us together on the cover of AARP magazine. 

ChatGPT says, “I don’t have specific information about whether Kim Komando, the technology journalist and radio host, has a dog.” Womp, womp.

Then I asked, “How do I listen to The Kim Komando Show?” Perplexity sent me the link to my handy station finder with an explanation of how to use it. It even told me that you can listen without ads as a Komando Community member. Appreciate the free marketing!

That’s cool, but what about in my everyday life?

Glad you asked. We’re really just at the edge of what AI can do for us personally and professionally. Some of us use it every day and others aren’t sure what to do with AI yet. I gotcha.

• Don’t just guess if you’re setting up new tech. A good example: “I just got an iPhone 15. What settings should I change first?”
• Shortcut an annoying task. “I have to make a 2024 budget. Can you help me with a basic outline?”
• Get free, tangible advice if no one in your life can help. “How do I improve my resume to get more responses?”
• Solve a mystery or learn something new about the world. “Why do volcanos erupt?” (Good for settling arguments, eh?)
• Give AI a try if you’re confused about something or feeling out of the loop. “Why is everyone talking about the Roman Empire?”

📩 Want to try it out? Here’s the link one more time. No, they didn’t ask me to promote. It’s an incredible tool I want you to know about! If you discover anything you think is awesome, reply to this email and let me know.