Perplexity’s Comet Is The Ai Browser Google Wants

Perplexity has conscionable launched its agentic reply to Google Chrome — it’s called Comet, and it knocked retired a slate of tasks connected my behalf, though I deliberation I could’ve done immoderate faster myself. The caller AI-powered browser is presently only disposable to Perplexity Max subscribers aliases done an early entree waitlist, and it’s supposed to simplify nan measurement you browse nan web by infusing AI into practically everything you do.

For one, it replaces Google Search results pinch its Perplexity AI “answer engine,” which appears successful your browser model erstwhile you type a query into nan reside bar. Unlike your emblematic hunt engine, Perplexity will first aboveground links to applicable websites and past make accusation astir what you’re looking for. Comet’s distilled hunt results travel successful useful erstwhile you want it to constrictive down your results for you, but it’s a spot jarring not to spot nan monolithic action of websites suggested by Google. 

Comet besides comes pinch an AI adjunct built in, akin to nan Gemini integration that Google is testing successful Chrome. Selecting nan Assistant fastener successful nan top-right area of nan browser will unfastened up a sidebar pinch a chat interface. From here, you tin type successful a query aliases usage sound mode to chat astir different topics, arsenic good arsenic inquire circumstantial questions astir nan webpage you’re on.

Comet tin make a summary of an article, picture an image, summarize YouTube videos, aliases execute much investigation astir a taxable that catches your eye. It’s besides capable to scan each of your unfastened tabs to supply summaries of those pages and comparison products connected them.

At this point, these are each beautiful modular features for an AI tool, but what makes Comet really guidelines retired is its expertise to complete tasks connected your behalf. After linking my Google relationship to nan browser, I recovered that it was frighteningly accelerated astatine generating — and sending — an email to myself containing a summary of this year’s hurricane play outlook. The browser besides speedily complied pinch a petition to adjacent each nan tabs I hadn’t opened successful much than 15 minutes. It moreover wrote and published a station connected my X relationship connected my behalf astir nan upcoming Made by Google event.

I asked it to unsubscribe from nan promotional emails sent by Fubo and Fanatics.com arsenic well. I watched arsenic Comet’s AI adjunct walked itself done nan process. In nan chat interface, Comet shows what it’s “seeing” arsenic it locates caller emails sent by nan companies, finds nan unsubscribe button, and past really selects it.

I moreover had Comet spell done my database of LinkedIn invites and judge requests from group pinch 5 aliases much communal connections. The browser erstwhile again traced its ain process of going done my invites, identifying which ones met my period for communal connections, and past hitting Accept. But arsenic I had Comet execute these tasks, I couldn’t thief but deliberation it’d beryllium faster if I did them myself.

It took Comet 2 minutes to unsubscribe from receiving emails from those 2 providers, but it only took maine a small complete 30 seconds to unsubscribe from nan aforesaid ones (yes, I timed myself). Comet besides ate up a chunk of clip erstwhile accepting a mates of LinkedIn invitations, a task I could do successful conscionable a mates of clicks. I tin spot it serving arsenic a awesome accessibility tool, arsenic good arsenic a measurement to complete tasks successful nan inheritance while you’re doing thing else.

You tin unlock moreover much agentic features erstwhile you commencement a punctual pinch “take power of my browser.” I didn’t recognize this until I contacted Perplexity to inquire erstwhile nan browser would beryllium tin of booking reservations aliases buying products. Without this phrase, Comet will extremity short of completing these tasks and alternatively supply instructions connected really you tin do it manually. 

To start, I asked Comet to “take power of my browser” and summarize nan comments connected a Verge article. Instead of denying my petition because it couldn’t publication nan collapsed comments conception (like Gemini successful Chrome did), Comet worked astir this and opened nan comments conception itself. It summed up nan sentiment surrounding my colleague Vee’s cursed portion astir Grok’s AI anime waifu, calling users’ guidance to nan chatbot overwhelmingly “negative and critical.”

I took things a measurement further by asking Comet to return power of my browser, adhd aquarium soil and glue for an iPad repair to my cart connected Amazon, and past cheque out. The process was amazingly seamless, arsenic I watched it admit nan full price, take Prime’s one-day shipping speed, prime my default costs option, and deed “order” without needing maine to intervene. 

I only ran into immoderate hiccups erstwhile having Comet book maine a preservation for a restaurant. When I yet recovered a edifice that accepts online reservations, I erstwhile again asked nan browser to return power and make a preservation for maine connected a circumstantial date. It completed nan task, only it ne'er asked for my email aliases telephone number, and alternatively entered a generic placeholder for both. I was capable to person Comet rebook pinch my existent email address, but it shows that nan browser mightiness not get everything correct each nan time.

“Some of nan much analyzable agentic actions for illustration shopping do person a higher nonaccomplishment complaint than simpler tasks, but this is really a limitation of existent AI models,” Perplexity spokesperson Jesse Dwyer told The Verge. “So this will only get easier and amended successful Comet.”

Still, Comet tin do acold much than Chrome’s Gemini integration, and it’s precisely nan type of instrumentality that Google has group its sights connected creating. Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas has made it clear that nan startup wants to situation Google’s dominance, and Comet whitethorn play a large domiciled successful bringing it up to speed.