Every day, it seems like there’s a new flavor-of-the-day AI tool out there.
Perplexity.AI has been supremely useful to me over the last year or so, and I wanted to give it a shout-out as to why I think it’s so great and a peek under the hood as to how it works.
(Hopefully) in an attempt to simplify your life and the tools you pick.
It’s really two tools in 1. It’s a research engine first, then it’s a large language model (LLM) second. They operate in that order.
Note: I’m not affiliated with them in any way, but I talk about them a lot, so I wanted to clear the air as to why I think they’re so great.
Tool 1: Research Engine
When you ask it a question, it dissects your question, creates the search terms, combs the internet, and reads relevant articles on your topic of interest.
Tool 2: Summarization Using Large Language Models
After gathering all the relevant data, Perplexity.AI uses its own large language models (like ChatGPT or Claude or its own LLM) to summarize the findings.
The best part? It cites its sources, so you can always double-check the information. Think of it as trusting a dealer but still cutting the cards to ensure everything’s legit.
This one is huge because I really trust the information it’s giving me. As I said in Confidently Wrong, the issue with ChatGPT and other LLMs is that they may be 90% accurate (or higher), but it’s very difficult to know which datapoint is wrong, causing you to lose trust in the entirety.
Benefits to using Perplexity.AI
Why Perplexity.AI is a Game-Changer
Perplexity.AI is thorough.
It digs deep into the internet, finding the best articles and summarizing them in a friendly and helpful voice. It’s like having a knowledgeable buddy sitting next to you, guiding you through complex information. Plus, it can handle creative tasks, whether or not they rely on the research it found. Essentially, anything you use ChatGPT for, you can use Perplexity.AI for too.
It’s a replacement to Google
Using Perplexity.AI as a Google replacement saves me around 5-7 hours a week.
Instead of spending hours sifting through search results, I get a clean, concise summary with sources you can check if needed. Moreover, it suggests questions I didn’t think to ask, but it thinks may be helpful.
It’s Nice to Me
Some LLMs can be really judgmental or scold me for asking a question that the AI doesn’t like. Perplexity does have safeguards, but it feels different. It feels like it’s sitting on the same side of the table as me.
Tech Support (Step-by-Step Directions)
I get step-by-step instructions for technical tasks. I’ll literally say “Give me step by step directions, down to the button click, for how to do ____” and it’ll respond by saying something like “Click the orange button in the top right corner of the website…”
We use it to write Success Stories
Writing case studies in our specific format style has never been easier.
I provide Perplexity.AI with links to our Success Stories, and it compiles new case studies using customer testimonials and engagement summaries. This ensures consistency in tone and style across all our reports. It’s especially useful for creating polished, professional documents quickly, which is a huge time-saver during busy periods.
Travel Planning (Vacation Coordination)
My girlfriend and I recently used it to book an entire two-week vacation in Greece. In under an hour, we had all our hotels, ferries, and some activities sorted. Perplexity.AI found great hotels, coordinated our itineraries, and even suggested activities.
Drawbacks to using Perplexity.AI
There are a couple of drawbacks. For creative tasks that require rapid iteration, Perplexity.AI can be a bit slow since it prioritizes thorough research. Additionally, it’s more focused on being a librarian than an all-purpose large language model, which might make it slightly less creative than something like ChatGPT.
Conclusion
My hope for you is that the $20/mo for Perplexity.AI Pro is worthwhile just in saving you the hassle of going to Google. If you can use it to save other time, that’s all gravy. My $0.02? Try using Perplexity Pro for a month, and never use a conventional search engine. Then, spend 1 day without ever using Perplexity and using the search engine. I think you’ll be furious with how bad the Search experience has become.
Anyway, happy searching!
Special Note: if you’re using Perplexity.AI in a unique way, hit us up: hi@teammateai.com – we’d love to hear about it.