Perplexity is a free AI search engine that provides trusted answers to any question.
AI-driven summaries of online content are a common feature in various AI-focused tools nowadays. Some of these tools are now advancing to the next level by generating detailed and well-structured web pages based on your search queries. The Arc browser, through its Arc Search app, is already making progress in this direction. Rumors suggest that Apple is also gearing up to introduce its own intelligent summarization feature for web pages and articles. The most recent entrant in this arena is Perplexity AI.
With Perplexity Pages, the company aims to assist users in creating visually appealing reports, articles, or guides.
Both free and paid users can access the option to generate a page in the library section. By simply providing a prompt like “Information about Sahara Desert,” users can initiate the tool to start crafting a page. Users have the flexibility to choose an audience type – beginner, advanced, or general – to influence the style of the generated content.
Perplexity has mentioned that its algorithms are designed to produce a comprehensive article with distinct sections. Users can request the AI tool to revise or restructure any sections, or even eliminate them. Additionally, users can introduce a new section by instructing the tool to cover a specific subtopic. Perplexity also facilitates the discovery and inclusion of relevant media elements like images and videos.
All the generated pages are shareable and searchable on Google. Users can distribute the link to these pages with others, who can also ask further questions on the topic. Furthermore, users have the option to convert their ongoing conversation threads into pages with a simple click.
Henry Modisett, the head of design at Perplexity, expressed that the company aimed to leverage its core technology to position Perplexity as a research tool in a more user-friendly format. Notably, Modisett brings over eight years of experience as a product designer at Quora.
“We noticed that our users were already sharing their search pages with others. Hence, we aimed to enhance the presentation format,” Modisett shared with TechCrunch during a call.
In addition, he mentioned that while the AI engine initiates the process of answering the question and constructing the page immediately, it takes a few minutes for the tool to fully complete the page. This presented a challenge for him as a designer, as he had to consider animations that would enhance the user experience during the waiting period.
Numerous discussions and reports have emerged regarding the impact of AI-generated content on various fields such as blogging, journalism, and the internet as a whole. Perplexity views this tool as a means of information curation rather than relying solely on AI for content generation.
“We present this feature in a way that allows users to curate information and determine the focus and organization of the page. They are the ones making these decisions, so it’s not entirely AI-generated, correct?” Modisett explained.
“Users contribute their own preferences and tastes to it. And I believe that not everyone can create an exceptional page, so there is a significant human element involved in making decisions and ensuring it remains interesting,” he added.
However, Perplexity is uncertain about how this will impact the rest of the web ecosystem. Modisett pointed out that, similar to Perplexity’s search results, the pages will showcase various sources and highlight them prominently.
Initially, the Perplexity Pages feature will be available to a limited number of users, with plans to eventually make it accessible to all users. Users can only create pages on the web, but these pages will be visible on both the web and mobile apps.
