Perplexity, new AI search

[CDRE]

I have been using Perplexity for a couple of months and enjoy the free service and power of using AI search. Here are a couple of excerpts from a WSJ article today (might be behind paywall):

"Perplexity, an artificial-intelligence startup aiming to challenge Google’s dominance in web search, is finalizing a new funding deal at around a $1 billion valuation, people familiar with the matter said, roughly doubling its valuation since its most recent financing a few months ago......

.....Perplexity’s search tool answers user queries with a detailed summary and links to where it pulled the information. Users are then able to ask follow-up questions. The company has seen an uptick in subscribers of its premium service, which charges $20 a month for a more powerful version of the search engine that uses GPT-4, OpenAI’s most advanced AI model"


Have you tried the free or paid version of Perplexity?

 

[pb4uski]

No, I use Gemini, Google's AI.

 

[jfn111]

I have been using Perplexity for awhile now. I think it's a great tool and I especially like the fact that it's free.

 

[latexman]

No, I use MS's Copilot in Bing.

 

[target2019]

Using Copilot and Gemini.

 

[Fermion]

I use Google but isn't one of the big problems with Google search is the bias toward sponsored (paid) search hits?

 

[Fermion]

I'll give an example.

In Google I search for "outboard motor bracket for canoe stern sailboat"

As a human, you look at that question and it is pretty easy to figure out, right? It is quite obvious I am wanting a bracket for a motor to mount on a canoe stern sailboat.

Google returns hits like:


48 Pcs Motor Fixing Bracket kayak motor rack canoe ...

Amazon.com
https://www.amazon.com › Bracket-inflatable-accessory...
outboard motor bracket for canoe stern "sailboat" from www.amazon.com
PSEQT LED Boat Navigation Lights Bow Stern Red Green Marine Strip Light Waterproof for Yacht Kayak Fishing Pontoon Sailboat Bass Boat Vessel DC 12V-24V.
$48.59 · ‎ 30-day returns

 

[Golden Mean]

So, how would one use Perplexity (or Gemini) for search? I use google.com when I want to find a website with certain content and then click on the given url to visit that site. I don't quite get how a specific AI engine would be used or selected to search for a website.

 

[Lsbcal]

I use both Gemini and ChatGPT. Sometimes one is better then the other.

 

[donheff]

As I understand it, MS' Copilot is essentially GPT4 so I have been using it.

 

[GenXguy]

I use Copilot and ChatGPT but am disappointed in them in general - wrong answers and such.

 

[CaptTom]

I find myself turning to ChatGPT for more nuanced answers. I'll try Gemini and Perplexity now, too.

It's not really fair to compare AI to an old-fashioned search engine. Those keyword-based search engines are actually sufficient for 90% of what I do.

I suppose part of that is just because that's what I'm used to. As searching becomes more conversational, I imagine people will forget the techniques we use now to identify the right keywords.

 

[target2019]

I find that answers through various AI interfaces are highly dependent on the phrasing of the question. It may take re-phrasing of your question and an additional submission. So there may be more work required of you.

 

[Lsbcal]

I find that answers through various AI interfaces are highly dependent on the phrasing of the question. It may take re-phrasing of your question and an additional submission. So there may be more work required of you.

I think this might be akin to standard search where you narrow down your criteria by looking at the links provided and maybe even searching through several to get the one you want. The AI search tends to do some of this tedious work for you.

 

[CosmicDreamer]

I have been using Gemini, Claude-Instant, and Copilot with differing degrees of success. My favorite so far is Claude-Instant, but I think I will give the free version of Perplexity a try. Thanks for the info, @CDRE!

 

[yclipse]

> I don't quite get how a specific AI engine would be used or selected to search for a website.

You're not looking for a web site, you are looking for information. Two queries that I made recently were:

Who originated the phrase “three chords and the truth”?
Population of Afghanistan in 1800

But you have to be careful. AI clients often provide wrong information. One query about which states do not tax social security benefits returned a list of the states that do tax them.

 

[GenXguy]

> I don't quite get how a specific AI engine would be used or selected to search for a website.

You're not looking for a web site, you are looking for information. Two queries that I made recently were:

Who originated the phrase “three chords and the truth”?
Population of Afghanistan in 1800

But you have to be careful. AI clients often provide wrong information. One query about which states do not tax social security benefits returned a list of the states that do tax them.

As in your example, they can get the easy question answered, which you could find yourself with a websearch, but then often get something more complicated incorrect.

 

[CosmicDreamer]

I have been testing the free version of Perplexity AI for the third straight day now, and I should say I am really impressed. I guess I have a new favorite now!

 

[Pellice]

I have been testing some AI sites with a question about parking access for a long hiking trail that runs through my town. This information is publicly available, but it is scattered about on different websites. I can name at least 6 parking areas off the top of my head. Neither Copilot nor Perplexity could manage more than two - not the same ones, and both had one from outside of my area.

I thought this would be the sort of question that would be time-consuming for a human, but easy for AI. But it wasn't. How would I dare trust it to give me an itinerary?

 

[target2019]

I think this might be akin to standard search where you narrow down your criteria by looking at the links provided and maybe even searching through several to get the one you want. The AI search tends to do some of this tedious work for you.

Yes, I realize all of that. But what I intended was to highlight the fact that 100 different people will initially phrase their AI question incorrrectly, or not give enough information. Then declare here, "It doesn't work."

I'm no expert, though.

 

[sengsational]

I've got the ChatGPT client on my phone, but haven't experimented with any others. I know enough to know what it can save me time with, and what it's not going to be able to help with. Sometimes I give it a tough one just to confirm what I think are it's limitations. I haven't been surprised. It's pretty good at general things that "everybody knows", but details that require data gathering, like specific things like parking for hiking trails, I'm not surprised at all that it fails at that.