Latest news with #searchengine
The Verge
09-07-2025
- Business
- The Verge
Perplexity just launched an AI web browser
Perplexity, the startup behind the AI 'answer' engine, has just launched its own web browser. The browser, called Comet, incorporates Perplexity's AI search tools and assistant in a way that CEO Aravind Srinivas says 'transforms entire browsing sessions into single, seamless interactions.' Comet will only be available to users who subscribe to the $200 per month Perplexity Max plan before rolling out more widely on an invite-only basis. The browser uses Perplexity as its primary search engine, which serves up AI-generated responses to queries based on results from around the web. It's also supposed to be able to buy products on your behalf and help you book hotels. The new AI-powered browser comes as Perplexity continues to challenge Google's dominance in search. Perplexity partnered with Motorola to pre-install its assistant on its new Razr phones this year, something Srinvas told The Verge in April that the startup wouldn't have happened if Google hadn't gone through an antitrust trial. 'They would have bullied a lot of the OEMs,' Srinvas said. Comet is built on Chromium, the Google-backed open-source project powering major browsers like Chrome and Microsoft Edge. Perplexity has expressed interest in buying Chrome if the court forces Google to sell the browser. Srinvas said in April that Perplexity is launching a browser because it 'might be the best way to build agents.' Aside from the Perplexity's search integration, Comet comes with a built-in AI assistant that can answer questions about what you're seeing on your screen, similar to Gemini's integration with Google Chrome. The AI assistant lives in Comet's sidebar, and in addition to summarizing or explaining text, it can also carry out agentic tasks like booking a meeting, sending an email, or buying a product. Srinivas says Perplexity plans to 'continue to launch new features and functionality for Comet' in the future. The browser is only available on Windows and Mac for now, and also allows you to import your extensions, settings, and bookmarks in 'one click.'
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Perplexity launches Comet, an AI-powered web browser
Perplexity on Wednesday launched its first AI-powered web browser, called Comet, marking the startup's latest effort to challenge Google Search as the primary avenue people use to find information online. At launch, Comet will be available first to subscribers of Perplexity's $200-per-month Max plan, as well as a small group of invitees that signed up to a waitlist. Comet's headline feature is Perplexity's AI search engine, which is pre-installed and set as the default, putting the company's core product — AI generated summaries of search results — front and center. Users can also access Comet Assistant, a new AI agent from Perplexity that lives in the web browser and aims to automate routine tasks. Perplexity says the assistant can summarize emails and calendar events, manage tabs, and navigate webpages on behalf of users. Users can access Comet Assistant by opening a sidecar on any webpage, which lets the AI agent see what's on the webpage and answer questions about it. Perplexity has released several products and initiatives in recent months, but none feel quite as consequential as Comet. The company's CEO, Aravind Srinivas, has significantly hyped up Comet's launch in particular, perhaps because he sees it as vital in Perplexity's battle against Google. With Comet, Perplexity is aiming to reach users directly without having to go through Google Chrome, the most popular browser currently. While AI-powered browsers present uncharted territory for many users, Google itself seems convinced this is the direction browsers are headed: the Search giant has deployed several AI integrations into Chrome in recent months, not to mention AI mode, an AI search product with a striking resemblance to Perplexity. Srinivas said in March that his goal with Comet was to 'develop an operating system with which you can do almost everything,' enabling Perplexity's AI to help users across apps and websites. Becoming the default browser for users can translate to 'infinite retention,' Srinivas said in June, which would ostensibly lead to more requests on Perplexity. That said, Comet is entering a crowded arena. While Google Chrome and Apple's Safari hold most of the market, The Browser Company launched an AI-powered browser, Dia, in June that seems to offer many of the same features as Comet. OpenAI has also reportedly considered launching its own browser to compete with Google, and has even hired some key members from the original Google Chrome team in the last year. Comet could get an initial leg up in the browser wars if a meaningful chunk of Perplexity users sign up for the product. Srinivas recently said that Perplexity saw 780 million queries in May 2025, and that the company's search products are seeing more than 20% growth month-over-month. Taking on Google Search is no small task, but Perplexity seems to have the right idea by launching a browser of its own. But the startup's team may find it even harder to convince users to switch browsers than weaning them off Google Search. The most unique aspect of this browser seems to be Comet Assistant. During our testing, we found Comet's AI agent to be surprisingly helpful for simple tasks, but it quickly falls apart when given more complex requests. Using Comet Assistant to its fullest potential also requires you to hand over an uncomfortable level of access to Perplexity. My favorite way to use Comet Assistant, so far, is loading it in the sidecar while I'm browsing the web. Perplexity's on-browser AI agent can automatically see what I'm looking at, so I can simply ask it questions without needing to open a new window or copy and paste text or links. It's right there, and it always has the context for what I'm looking at. Comet Assistant was able to answer questions about posts on social media, YouTube videos, and even sentences I just wrote in a Google Doc. I imagine this will streamline workflows for millions of people that are sending screenshots, files, and links to ChatGPT all day. Next, I tried getting Comet Assistant to look through my Google Calendar. But before I could do so, I had to give Perplexity significant access to my Google Account — a lot of access. Just look at how long this list is. I have to say, giving Perplexity permission to view my screen, send emails, look at my contacts, and add events to my Calendar made me a little uneasy. But it seems AI agents need this kind of access to be useful. Nevertheless, Comet Assistant did a reasonably good job looking through my Calendar. It notified me about some upcoming events, and offered me some advice on when to leave my home, and how to navigate public transit, to get to those events. The assistant was also able to summarize emails I received that morning from noteworthy senders — in my case, important startups and tech companies with upcoming news. I've found that AI agents have a very difficult time parsing through what's important in an email inbox, but Comet Assistant fared pretty well. But Comet Assistant fails at more complicated tasks. For example, I tried asking it to help me find a long-term parking spot at San Francisco's airport for an upcoming trip, specifically places with good reviews that cost less than $15 a day. The assistant offered up several options that seemed to fit the criteria, so I asked it to book me a spot at one of the locations for the dates I'd be away. The agent navigated the parking lot's website for me, entered in dates, and even some of my information, then asked me to review what it did and check-out. Turns out, Comet Assistant hallucinated and entered completely wrong dates, later telling me that the dates I wanted were booked, but still wanted to have me complete the check-out anyways. I had to tell the AI agent that the dates were non-negotiable, and asked it to find another location. It ran into the same problem again. AI agents that mess up key details like this are not new. My experience with OpenAI's agent, Operator, and Perplexity's previous shopping agent yielded similar results. Clearly, hallucinations stand in the way of these products becoming real tools. Until AI companies can solve them, AI agents will still be a novelty for complex tasks. Nevertheless, Comet does seem to offer some new capabilities that may just give Perplexity a leg up over the competition in the modern browser wars. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
TechCrunch
09-07-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
Perplexity launches Comet, an AI-powered web browser
Perplexity on Wednesday launched its first AI-powered web browser, called Comet, marking the startup's latest effort to challenge Google Search as the primary avenue people use to find information online. At launch, Comet will be available first to subscribers of Perplexity's $200-per-month Max plan, as well as a small group of invitees that signed up to a waitlist. Here's what a New tab looks like for me on Comet (Credit: Maxwell Zeff/Perplexity) Comet's headline feature is Perplexity's AI search engine, which is pre-installed and set as the default, putting the company's core product — AI generated summaries of search results — front and center. Users can also access Comet Assistant, a new AI agent from Perplexity that lives in the web browser and aims to automate routine tasks. Perplexity says the assistant can summarize emails and calendar events, manage tabs, and navigate webpages on behalf of users. Users can access Comet Assistant by opening a sidecar on any webpage, which lets the AI agent see what's on the webpage and answer questions about it. Comet Assistant in your email inbox (Credit: Perplexity) Perplexity has released several products and initiatives in recent months, but none feel quite as consequential as Comet. The company's CEO, Aravind Srinivas, has significantly hyped up Comet's launch in particular, perhaps because he sees it as vital in Perplexity's battle against Google. With Comet, Perplexity is aiming to reach users directly without having to go through Google Chrome, the most popular browser currently. While AI-powered browsers present uncharted territory for many users, Google itself seems convinced this is the direction browsers are headed: the Search giant has deployed several AI integrations into Chrome in recent months, not to mention AI mode, an AI search product with a striking resemblance to Perplexity. Srinivas said in March that his goal with Comet was to 'develop an operating system with which you can do almost everything,' enabling Perplexity's AI to help users across apps and websites. Becoming the default browser for users can translate to 'infinite retention,' Srinivas said in June, which would ostensibly lead to more requests on Perplexity. Techcrunch event Save up to $475 on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Save $450 on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Boston, MA | REGISTER NOW Perplexity's Comet Assistant can open new tabs for you (Credit: Perplexity) That said, Comet is entering a crowded arena. While Google Chrome and Apple's Safari hold most of the market, The Browser Company launched an AI-powered browser, Dia, in June that seems to offer many of the same features as Comet. OpenAI has also reportedly considered launching its own browser to compete with Google, and has even hired some key members from the original Google Chrome team in the last year. Comet could get an initial leg up in the browser wars if a meaningful chunk of Perplexity users sign up for the product. Srinivas recently said that Perplexity saw 780 million queries in May 2025, and that the company's search products are seeing more than 20% growth month-over-month. Taking on Google Search is no small task, but Perplexity seems to have the right idea by launching a browser of its own. But the startup's team may find it even harder to convince users to switch browsers than weaning them off Google Search. Hands on with Comet The most unique aspect of this browser seems to be Comet Assistant. During our testing, we found Comet's AI agent to be surprisingly helpful for simple tasks, but it quickly falls apart when given more complex requests. Using Comet Assistant to its fullest potential also requires you to hand over an uncomfortable level of access to Perplexity. My favorite way to use Comet Assistant, so far, is loading it in the sidecar while I'm browsing the web. Perplexity's on-browser AI agent can automatically see what I'm looking at, so I can simply ask it questions without needing to open a new window or copy and paste text or links. It's right there, and it always has the context for what I'm looking at. Comet Assistant can see your webpage (credit: Perplexity) Comet Assistant was able to answer questions about posts on social media, YouTube videos, and even sentences I just wrote in a Google Doc. I imagine this will streamline workflows for millions of people that are sending screenshots, files, and links to ChatGPT all day. Next, I tried getting Comet Assistant to look through my Google Calendar. But before I could do so, I had to give Perplexity significant access to my Google Account — a lot of access. Just look at how long this list is. (Credit: Maxwell Zeff/Perplexity) I have to say, giving Perplexity permission to view my screen, send emails, look at my contacts, and add events to my Calendar made me a little uneasy. But it seems AI agents need this kind of access to be useful. Nevertheless, Comet Assistant did a reasonably good job looking through my Calendar. It notified me about some upcoming events, and offered me some advice on when to leave my home, and how to navigate public transit, to get to those events. The assistant was also able to summarize emails I received that morning from noteworthy senders — in my case, important startups and tech companies with upcoming news. I've found that AI agents have a very difficult time parsing through what's important in an email inbox, but Comet Assistant fared pretty well. But Comet Assistant fails at more complicated tasks. For example, I tried asking it to help me find a long-term parking spot at San Francisco's airport for an upcoming trip, specifically places with good reviews that cost less than $15 a day. The assistant offered up several options that seemed to fit the criteria, so I asked it to book me a spot at one of the locations for the dates I'd be away. The agent navigated the parking lot's website for me, entered in dates, and even some of my information, then asked me to review what it did and check-out. Turns out, Comet Assistant hallucinated and entered completely wrong dates, later telling me that the dates I wanted were booked, but still wanted to have me complete the check-out anyways. I had to tell the AI agent that the dates were non-negotiable, and asked it to find another location. It ran into the same problem again. AI agents that mess up key details like this are not new. My experience with OpenAI's agent, Operator, and Perplexity's previous shopping agent yielded similar results. Clearly, hallucinations stand in the way of these products becoming real tools. Until AI companies can solve them, AI agents will still be a novelty for complex tasks. Nevertheless, Comet does seem to offer some new capabilities that may just give Perplexity a leg up over the competition in the modern browser wars.
Coin Geek
09-07-2025
- Business
- Coin Geek
China's Baidu beefs up search engine amid new AI threats
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Chinese Big Tech player Baidu (NASDAQ: BIDU) has announced upgrades to its search engine, adding new artificial intelligence (AI) functionalities into the service, its biggest improvement in over a decade. According to a CNBC report, Baidu is opting to innovate its search engine to remain viable, as studies highlight a trend of users turning to AI-powered chatbots for answers. Baidu's latest changes to its core search product will allow users to enter over a thousand characters in the search box. Previously, users were limited to only 28 characters, reducing search precision and requiring keyword prioritization. Going forward, users can conversationally ask questions on the search engine, akin to how they interact with chatbots. Furthermore, Baidu is improving its voice search and image prompts. Lastly, Baidu's biggest upgrade is the integration of its AI chatbot into the search product. The integration will allow users to use AI to generate text, images, and video on Baidu Search. Morning Star strategist Kai Wang disclosed that the changes to the Search product are designed to mirror how consumers interact with mainstream AI products. Baidu's search users have fallen, with several users opting for AI chatbots for their search requirements. Baidu Search faces stiff competition from China-based AI heavyweights like DeepSeek and Tencent (NASDAQ: TCTZF). Furthermore, short video platforms are turning their gaze to AI Search, slashing off a significant chunk of Baidu's market share. Despite the new pressure on Baidu from its rivals, the company took the lead with AI back in 2023 with the release of its Ernie Bot chatbot. In less than six months, Baidu racked up 100 million Chinese users to lead its peers, announcing several AI products to maintain its headstart in the local scene. However, new entrants are catching up with Baidu with their range of AI products. The stiff competition has sent Baidu stock inching up by only 2.5% since the start of the year, while AI heavyweights Alibaba (NASDAQ: BABA) and Tencent have gained 30.5% and 20% respectively in the same window. Google racing to innovate Search Outside of China, Google Search (NASDAQ: GOOGL) is also facing challenges driven by the rapid adoption of AI chatbots. To stay ahead of the curve with emerging technologies, Google has rolled out new AI policies for its Search product, presenting AI summaries for queries ahead of website links. Furthermore, Google says it integrates its AI mode directly into Search, allowing users to improve their queries and get conversational responses. The U.S.-based search giant has unfurled its independent AI chatbots, providing stiff competition to traditional AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic. Beijing schools to integrate AI into learning curriculum A new report has confirmed that primary and middle schools will adopt AI classes into their existing curriculum to keep up with digitization. According to an official document released by the Beijing Education Commission, the AI classes will begin in September at the start of a new academic year. Dubbed the Curriculum Outline for Artificial Intelligence Education in Primary and Secondary Schools in Beijing, the report suggests that the new AI classes are a trial before a main rollout. For each academic year, pupils across primary and middle school will have at least eight class hours on AI. Upon full rollout, there are suggestions that the number of hours may increase, matching the hours in secondary schools. The curriculum will attempt to achieve three key objectives. The Beijing Education Commission will focus on AI awareness and cognitive abilities, AI applications and innovation capabilities, ethics, and social responsibility. The new curriculum attempts to step up from basic IT knowledge to promote critical thinking skills in pupils. Furthermore, the report notes that AI skills will form part of the comprehensive assessments of Beijing students. Schools in the capital city of China will be free to teach AI courses independently or merge them with other subjects. The report name-checks information technology, science, and emerging technologies as potential courses for schools to integrate with AI. 'We expect that under the new guidance, an integrated AI educational innovation scenario from primary schools to middle schools could be built, which will better help the education sector seize the opportunities brought by the AI technological reforms,' Li Yuxin, principal of Beijing Bright Horizon Foreign Language Primary School, said. Pundits have hailed the curriculum for aligning with the goals of general AI education, given its tailor-made design for elementary students. In May, the Chinese Ministry of Education launched new guidelines for AI use in classrooms, prohibiting students from submitting AI-generated text as their original work. AI to become mainstay in global classrooms Across several jurisdictions, regulators are bracing for the adoption of AI tools in classrooms. Technology firms are leading the charge via launching innovative products for students and teachers, with Khanmigo and Speechify emerging as frontrunners. However, Japan's regulators are limiting the use via key guardrails, including age restrictions and a blanket ban against their use in examinations. The United Nations also urges tighter AI restrictions in schools, citing a raft of ethical considerations, including age restrictions and the emotional well-being of younger students. In order for artificial intelligence (AI) to work right within the law and thrive in the face of growing challenges, it needs to integrate an enterprise blockchain system that ensures data input quality and ownership—allowing it to keep data safe while also guaranteeing the immutability of data. Check out CoinGeek's coverage on this emerging tech to learn more why Enterprise blockchain will be the backbone of AI . Watch: AI is for 'augmenting' not replacing the workforce title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="">
Fast Company
07-07-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
Google's AI Overviews gets hit by an antitrust complaint in the EU. Here's why
Alphabet's Google has been hit by an EU antitrust complaint over its AI Overviews from a group of independent publishers, which has also asked for an interim measure to prevent allegedly irreparable harm to them, according to a document seen by Reuters. Google's AI Overviews are AI -generated summaries that appear above traditional hyperlinks to relevant webpages and are shown to users in more than 100 countries. It began adding advertisements to AI Overviews last May. The company is making its biggest bet by integrating AI into search but the move has sparked concerns from some content providers such as publishers. The Independent Publishers Alliance document, dated June 30, sets out a complaint to the European Commission and alleges that Google abuses its market power in online search. 'Google's core search engine service is misusing web content for Google's AI Overviews in Google Search, which have caused, and continue to cause, significant harm to publishers, including news publishers in the form of traffic, readership and revenue loss,' the document said. It said Google positions its AI Overviews at the top of its general search engine results page to display its own summaries which are generated using publisher material and it alleges that Google's positioning disadvantages publishers' original content. 'Publishers using Google Search do not have the option to opt out from their material being ingested for Google's AI large language model training and/or from being crawled for summaries, without losing their ability to appear in Google's general search results page,' the complaint said. The Commission declined to comment. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority confirmed receipt of the complaint. Google said it sends billions of clicks to websites each day. 'New AI experiences in Search enable people to ask even more questions, which creates new opportunities for content and businesses to be discovered,' a Google spokesperson said. The Independent Publishers Alliance's website says it is a nonprofit community advocating for independent publishers, which it does not name. The Movement for an Open Web, whose members include digital advertisers and publishers, and British non-profit Foxglove Legal Community Interest Company, which says it advocates for fairness in the tech world, are also signatories to the complaint. They said an interim measure was necessary to prevent serious irreparable harm to competition and to ensure access to news. Google said numerous claims about traffic from search are often based on highly incomplete and skewed data. 'The reality is that sites can gain and lose traffic for a variety of reasons, including seasonal demand, interests of users, and regular algorithmic updates to Search,' the Google spokesperson said. Foxglove co-executive director Rosa Curling said journalists and publishers face a dire situation. 'Independent news faces an existential threat: Google's AI Overviews,' she told Reuters. 'That's why with this complaint, Foxglove and our partners are urging the European Commission, along with other regulators around the world, to take a stand and allow independent journalism to opt out,' Curling said. The three groups have filed a similar complaint and a request for an interim measure to the UK competition authority. The complaints echoed a U.S. lawsuit by a U.S. edtech company which said Google's AI Overviews is eroding demand for original content and undermining publishers' ability to compete that have resulted in a drop in visitors and subscribers.
