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 lone disposable to Perplexity Max subscribers oregon done an aboriginal entree waitlist, and it’s supposed to simplify the mode you browse the web by infusing AI into practically everything you do.

For one, it replaces Google Search results with its Perplexity AI “answer engine,” which appears successful your browser model erstwhile you benignant a query into the code bar. Unlike your emblematic hunt engine, Perplexity volition archetypal 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 privation it to constrictive down your results for you, but it’s a spot jarring not to spot the monolithic enactment of websites suggested by Google. 

Comet besides comes with an AI adjunct built in, akin to the Gemini integration that Google is testing successful Chrome. Selecting the Assistant fastener successful the top-right country of the browser volition unfastened up a sidebar with a chat interface. From here, you tin benignant successful a query oregon usage dependable mode to chat astir antithetic topics, arsenic good arsenic inquire circumstantial questions astir the webpage you’re on.

Comet tin make a summary of an article, picture an image, summarize YouTube videos, oregon execute much probe 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 beauteous modular features for an AI tool, but what makes Comet truly basal retired is its quality to implicit tasks connected your behalf. After linking my Google relationship to the 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 with a petition to adjacent each the tabs I hadn’t opened successful much than 15 minutes. It adjacent wrote and published a station connected my X relationship connected my behalf astir the upcoming Made by Google event.

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

I adjacent had Comet spell done my database of LinkedIn invites and judge requests from radical with 5 oregon much communal connections. The browser erstwhile again traced its ain process of going done my invites, identifying which ones met my threshold for communal connections, and past hitting Accept. But arsenic I had Comet execute these tasks, I couldn’t assistance 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 lone took maine a small implicit 30 seconds to unsubscribe from the 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 bash successful conscionable a mates of clicks. I tin spot it serving arsenic a large accessibility tool, arsenic good arsenic a mode to implicit tasks successful the inheritance portion you’re doing thing else.

You tin unlock adjacent much agentic features erstwhile you commencement a punctual with “take power of my browser.” I didn’t recognize this until I contacted Perplexity to inquire erstwhile the browser would beryllium susceptible of booking reservations oregon buying products. Without this phrase, Comet volition halt abbreviated of completing these tasks and alternatively supply instructions connected however you tin bash it manually. 

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

I took things a measurement further by asking Comet to instrumentality 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 the full price, take Prime’s one-day shipping speed, prime my default outgo option, and deed “order” without needing maine to intervene. 

I lone ran into immoderate hiccups erstwhile having Comet publication maine a preservation for a restaurant. When I yet recovered a edifice that accepts online reservations, I erstwhile again asked the browser to instrumentality power and marque a preservation for maine connected a circumstantial date. It completed the task, lone it ne'er asked for my email oregon telephone number, and alternatively entered a generic placeholder for both. I was capable to person Comet rebook with my existent email address, but it shows that the browser mightiness not get everything close each the time.

“Some of the much analyzable agentic actions similar buying bash person a higher nonaccomplishment complaint than simpler tasks, but this is really a regulation of existent AI models,” Perplexity spokesperson Jesse Dwyer told The Verge. “So this volition lone get easier and amended successful Comet.”

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