AI Search Engine Perplexity Aims to Dethrone Google

Google has dominated internet search for over two decades, but a young startup called Perplexity thinks its AI-powered alternative could loosen Google’s stronghold. I recently spent some time testing Perplexity as my default search engine to see if it lives up to the hype.

Founded by former AI researchers from OpenAI and Meta, Perplexity has quickly built buzz in tech circles. Investors like Jeff Bezos have poured millions into the company, valuing it at over $500 million despite it only launching last year. What makes Perplexity stand out is its focus on answering questions directly using AI, rather than simply providing links.

How Perplexity Works

When you ask a question, it scans the web then generates a custom summary pulling from reputable sources. The AI response aims to give you the key information you’re seeking in a concise paragraph, annotate links to the reference articles it compiled from, and suggest follow-up questions to dive deeper.

Over hundreds of test queries on topics ranging from current events to streaming recommendations, I was impressed by the usefulness and overall accuracy of Perplexity’s AI-generated answers. Its strength seems to be simplifying complex questions that involve synthesizing information from multiple places. For example, when I asked for suggestions on Valentine’s Day activities within a set budget, it asked thoughtful clarifying questions about indoor vs outdoor and price range before providing venue ideas.

Another handy feature is the ability to narrow your search by source type, like only scanning Reddit threads and YouTube videos. When I needed to fix a setting on my computer, limiting my search to instructional videos gave me the exact how-to content I required.

Of course Perplexity isn’t perfect – no search engine is flawless. I noticed some clearly wrong answers coming through. But the founders acknowledge AI still makes factual mistakes at times. They believe Perplexity benefits from users having lower accuracy expectations for a small startup versus an authoritative stalwart like Google.

How Perplexity Stacks Up to the Competition

And make no mistake, Google still retains plenty of advantages over fledgling competition. Its deep integration with maps, email, documents and other dominant web services lock many users into its ecosystem. Perplexity also lacks the advertising model that generates massive revenues for Google to constantly improve and expand.

However, I believe AI-first search engines represent the most threatening challenge Google has faced in its history. As much as I rely on Google, results seem increasingly diluted with spam and sponsored sites as the web grows exponentially. Perplexity points to a future where AI models could help filter signal from noise. If millions gravitate to alternatives like Perplexity that effectively condense information, Google will either lose share of search or have to fundamentally evolve its approach.

Perplexity’s Potential Impact on SEO

The rise of AI search does raise concerns from a media and content perspective. Currently publishers and creators rely heavily on Google searches driving traffic to their sites where ads are displayed. But if these new search engines directly present answers without sending users to original articles, it could impact many digital business models. Fewer clicks to news sites or product review blogs means less revenue to support that professional material being created in the first place.

Of course less clickbait clogging the web would benefit users enormously. Still high quality, ethical journalism, analysis and entertainment also need support models. There are currently more questions than answers on how AI search engines might disrupt the economics of the internet.

For now, I plan to utilize Perplexity alongside good old Google. Perplexity unlocks an ease of researching that feels like the early days of Google, before SEO tricks and bloat set in. But I’m not ready to replace Google given its superior accuracy on navigational queries and wealth of connected services. Over time AI search technology will only evolve. It may just take a tiny data point like Perplexity to start chipping away at search monopolies we thought were cemented for eternity.

Have you tried Perplexity yet? What’s your take?

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