Perplexity, an AI-powered search startup, now displays results for factual queries like weather, time, currency conversion, and simple math directly through cards, aiming to reduce reliance on Google for such information. Previously, Perplexity could fetch this data descriptively, but the new update adds visual prominence for quicker access. CEO Aravind Srinivas highlighted that these basic queries should now work faster on Perplexity.
Enhanced Visual Results
Perplexity's new card-based results for weather, currency conversion, and simple math do not link to external sources. This follows a trend similar to Google, which displays direct results for basic queries. Last month, Srinivas mentioned collaboration with Tako, an AI search engine for visualizing information like stock prices.
Perplexity faced criticism for displaying original media content without proper attribution. Forbes criticized the search engine for showing Forbes' paywalled reporting without proper credit. This raised concerns about AI-powered search engines impacting publications' business by not providing enough link-back traffic.
In response to the criticism, Perplexity's chief business officer, Dmitry Shevelenko, mentioned that the company is exploring revenue-sharing deals with publications. These deals aim to provide publishers with recurring income, addressing concerns about the impact of AI-generated content on traditional media businesses.
