In late April 2025Perplexity AI announced that it was partnering with Motorola to bring its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered search engine to the smartphone industry. The moveintended to increase the company’s user basemay also leave many people wondering“What is Perplexity AI?”

The company bills itself as the “Swiss Army Knife for information discovery and curiosity” [1]. It has been described as a research partner or search companion that uses natural language processing (NLP) to interpret and understand the intent of your searchenabling it to offer personalizedrelevant recommendations based on your interactions with the model.

While ranking algorithms and keywords drive traditional search engine resultsPerplexity AI relies on a mixture of machine learning and natural language processing to interpret the searcher’s intent and deliver concise answers for a more conversationalpersonalized experience based on real-time data from the web when possible. 

Perplexity integrates web searching with AI to provide a response that not only answers your question but also provides you with source citationsmaking it easier to verify the information. 

Continue exploring this AI-powered search engine to learn how you can use itthe platform’s key featuresthe basic technology behind how it worksand the pros and cons of using Perplexity AI versus ChatGPT and other AI platforms.

How does Perplexity AI work?

Perplexity AI uses advanced natural language processing (systems that enable computers to understand human language) and machine learning (the process of using computers to detect patterns in large data sets and make predictions based on those patterns) to provide you with accurate answers to your questions.

Perplexity AI performs the following steps to provide you with conciserelevant responses:

• Understanding your question: Perplexity AI’s search function integrates a variety of existing large language models (LLMs)—GPT-4 OmniClaude 3.5 Sonnet and Haikuand Grok-2—while also incorporating their own in-house proprietary model to accurately interpret and understand the context of your question. When these LLMs work together to answer your questionthe result can be more accurate and helpful than one obtained from a traditional search engine or an AI platform using only one LLM. 

• Searching the web: The AI then searches the internet for authoritative sourcessuch as articleswebsitesand journalsthat contain relevant information. To ensure trusted resultsPerplexity uses a smaller index of information that reflects what users frequently ask Perplexity about. 

• Summarizing information: After compiling the pertinent informationthe tool creates an easy-to-understand summary of the search. The platform uses its range of LLMs to identify the contextually relevant parts of the documents it locates to offer you an accurate answer.

• Citing sources: Perplexity uses LLMs trained to only provide information that they can find from multiple sources on the internet. By instructing the LLMs to offer not only a well-formatted answer but appropriate citation to the original sourcePerplexity AI offers you easily verifiable information and the ability to dig deeper into your chosen topic. 

What is special about Perplexity AI?

Offering real-time search backed up with citations and sources makes Perplexity AI stand out. The following key features make Perplexity AI a practical choice for researchers and professionals interested in learning more about a topic or pursuing answers to everyday questions:

• Summarization: Perplexity moves beyond providing you with a list of links that contain the answer to your question. A search with Perplexity can give you a comprehensive answer in the form of a short summaryeliminating the need for the time-consuming task of sifting through multiple web links to gather all the information you need.

• Real-time searching: The platform continually collectsanalyzesand stores web contentresulting in up-to-date responses on recent news and events for you. Unlike other optionsPerplexity provides real-time search results in a natural language format instead of a list of links to follow. 

• Citation and verification: A search with Perplexity provides not only answers but citations and sources as wellwhich makes it easier for you to verify and assess the reliability of the information you receive from your search. 

• Interaction: Upload your files to Perplexity and take advantage of the convenience of having your project in one place. You can ask questions about and analyze your documents while engaging in relevant web searches. Create a “Space” within Perplexity and invite colleagues or friends to collaborate with you on whatever you’re working on.

• Integration: Because Perplexity AI integrates a variety of advanced AI models into its search functionit can effectively interpret your intent. It also relies on an array of sources like academic journalsresearch paperssocial media platformsnews articlesforumsand industry reports when answering your questionswhich helps provide you with more well-rounded answers.

• Contextual memory: Perplexity’s Thread feature preserves the contents of your conversation with the chatbot. A thread includes your initial questionany follow-up questionsand all of Perplexity’s responses. You can nameshareeditand flexibly access threadsadding to the ease with which you can access information. 

• Organization: Features such as Perplexity’s Focus filtersSpacesand Pages can help you organize and manage your information and make collaboration more seamless.

• Options: When using Perplexity as your AI search engineyou have two options for conducting your search: Quick Search and Pro Search. As the name suggestsQuick Search gives fast answers with a quick summary of relevant information from the platform’s carefully indexed sources. On the other handPro Search seeks a deeper understanding of your questions. When using this optionthe AI may ask follow-up questions to refine your search and offer you answers that are more closely related to your initial question. The number of searches you are allotted per day varies based on the type of search and the subscription level you have.

What is Perplexity AI used for?

When reliableup-to-date information with easily verifiable sources is a priorityconsider using Perplexity as your AI-powered search engine. This versatile tool can be used in various waysfrom professional to creative applications. 

Explore some examples of how you might use Perplexity AI:

• Questioning: Receive concise answers to questions ranging from the most simple to those that are complex and open-ended. 

• Learning: Gather feedback on your workbreak down complex topicsor receive tutoring services with Perplexity AI’s interactive features. 

• Researching: Use Perplexity to assist in academicmarketlegaland other types of research. Perplexity can help you improve your information-gathering process with quick answersin-depth searchesor creative inspiration.

• Analyzing: Summarize market forecastscompare companiesand track market trends. Use the tool to analyze research and provide insights into a range of documents and images. 

• Planning: Create travel itineraries specific to your budget and preferences for destinationsaccommodationsactivitiesdiningand more. Get updates in real-time regarding travel conditions and restrictions. 

• Supporting: Generate responses to customer inquiriesprioritize customer issuesand offer technical support.

• Shopping: Search for productscompare pricesanalyze reviews from multiple websitesand even make purchases.

• Tracking: Monitor industry updates and remain current on the latest weather or sports scores with real-time updates.

Pros and cons of Perplexity AI

With numerous AI options available to youknowing the benefits of choosing one over another can be helpful. As you decide which platform most closely meets your needsconsider the potential pros and cons of Perplexity AI versus ChatGPT and other AI platforms: 

Pros of Perplexity AI

• Accuracy: Because Perplexity gathers its information from various online sources and provides citations for these sourcesit has received positive feedback from users regarding accuracy. 

• Personalization: Perplexity allows you to personalize your experience by setting preferences for formattingpersonal interestscommunication goalsand language and specifying special conditions. This can lead to responses that more closely meet your needs.

• Response quality: Diverse source integration combined with real-time data and citations make Perplexity’s concise summary responses relevantinsightfuland easy to understand.

Cons of Perplexity AI

• Limited creativity: While Perplexity does generate relevant and detailed summariesother platforms may be better suited for use when creativity is paramount. Its ability to adjust for toneand format of output is more limited than that of similar platforms. 

• Less human-like responses: Though practical and preciseyou may find that Perplexity’s responses are less conversational and human-like than those from other platforms.

• Derivative: If you’re seeking an AI to use for content creationPerplexity may not be your best choice. The platform tends to do better with researching and fact-checking versus other platforms like ChatGPTwhich are more adept at idea and content generation. 

Getting started with Perplexity AI

Another perk of Perplexity AI is its user-friendly interface. The platform can guide you through signing uplogging inand setting up your account—the first three steps of getting started. A free account can give you access to five Pro Searches per daythree file uploadsand the CollectionsThreadsand Discover features [2].

Effective prompting is an important factor in generating accurate and relevant information with Perplexity. As you begin using Perplexity AIconsider the following tips for effective prompting:

• Give clear instructions on what you want the AI to do.

• Use specific detailstermsand keywords.

• Provide background information and context.

• Dictate a format for your response.

After signing upyou might find it helpful to personalize your settings and profile. As you adjust and update your preferencesPerplexity adjusts to better meet your specific needs. Perplexity AI makes it easy for you to ensure the information you receive is accuratecredibleand current. You can take advantage of the provided citations to verify your results. 

Learn more about Perplexity AI on Coursera

Perplexity is a versatile AI platform for times when you need to prioritize accuratecontextual information that can be easily verified. 

To learn more about the technology behind generative AIplatforms like Perplexity AIconsider enrolling in Generative AI for Everyone from DeepLearning.AI. For a more specialized learning opportunityexplore patternstechniquesand approaches that can help you use generative AI more effectively with the Prompt Engineering Specialization from Vanderbilt University. Both of these optionsas well as many othersare available on Coursera.