Perplexity's New Feature Aims to Reduce Reliance on Google for Basic Queries

Perplexity, the AI-powered search startup, has introduced a new feature that displays direct results for factual queries such as weather, local time, currency conversions, and simple math calculations. This move is intended to prevent users from turning to other search engines like Google for such basic information.

Previously, Perplexity was able to fetch this data from the web and display it in a descriptive format. However, the company has now added visual elements to these results to make them more prominent and quickly accessible. In a statement on X, CEO Aravind Srinivas mentioned that these basic queries should now work faster on the search engine.

Last year, Srinivas acknowledged that Google excels at handling basic queries like weather, time, and live sports scores, and noted that Perplexity had significant improvements to make in this area. While Google provides a lot of card-based information, including sports tournament tables and basic movie details, Perplexity is moving towards displaying direct results rather than sourcing them from other places.

For new search results such as weather information and currency conversions, Perplexity does not link to any sources. Last month, Srinivas mentioned that the search startup was collaborating with Tako, an AI search engine known for visualizing information, to display data such as stock prices.

Earlier this month, Perplexity faced criticism from the media. Forbes pointed out that the search engine was showcasing search results based on its original, paywalled reporting without proper attribution and with nearly identical writing style in the company's recently launched Pages feature. Specifically, Forbes highlighted that its reporting on former Google CEO Eric Schmidt's drone company was prominently featured in Perplexity's AI-generated podcast.

The contention from various critics is that without proper credits and sufficient link-back traffic, AI-powered search engines that generate (or regenerate) media content could harm the business models of publications.

Last week, the Amazon-backed startup's Chief Business Officer, Dmitry Shevelenko, told Semafor that the company was already exploring revenue-sharing deals with publications. He explained that these agreements would allow publishers to earn recurring income.

Perplexity's new features and its evolving relationship with the media are being closely watched in the tech industry. The company's efforts to provide faster and more direct answers to user queries could intensify the competition among search engines.

By enhancing the user experience with visually appealing and instant results, Perplexity aims to retain its user base and reduce their need to switch to Google for basic information. As the dynamics of search engines continue to evolve, how Perplexity navigates these challenges and opportunities will be critical for its growth and acceptance among users.