Perplexity AI Tutorial - How to use AI for Research

AI Alfie
15 Apr 202418:27

TLDRIn this tutorial, Alfie Marsh introduces Perplexity AI, an AI-powered search engine and research platform launched in August 2022 by CEO Aravan Shrines. It offers precise answers to complex questions by combining AI chatbot capabilities with web search. With a valuation of $520 million and 60 million monthly visitors in April 2024, Perplexity AI stands out for its ability to aggregate information from multiple sources to provide comprehensive answers, unlike traditional search engines. It also features focus mode for source specificity, PDF analysis, and collections for customized research formats, making it a powerful tool for research and data aggregation.

Takeaways

  • 😀 Perplexity AI is an AI-powered search engine and research platform that provides accurate answers to complex questions.
  • 📈 Founded in August 2022 by Aravan Shrines, a former OpenAI and DeepMind employee, Perplexity AI has quickly gained traction, raising $100 million in funding and reaching a valuation of $520 million.
  • 🎯 As of January 2024, Perplexity AI had 10 million monthly active users, which increased to 60 million by April 2024, showcasing its rapid growth.
  • 🤖 The platform combines AI chatbot capabilities with web search to provide ready-made answers to questions, distinguishing itself from traditional search engines by acting as an 'answer engine'.
  • 🔍 Perplexity AI optimizes search by understanding the question and then searching the web for relevant sources, aggregating information to provide a comprehensive answer.
  • 🆚 Compared to Google, which provides links and some summarized information, Perplexity AI goes further by aggregating information from multiple sources to answer questions directly.
  • 🆕 Perplexity AI can provide real-time information and answers to factual questions, unlike older AI models like Chat GPT, which are limited by their last training data and can't access updated information.
  • 📚 The platform offers features like 'Focus Mode' to specify source types and 'Attach' to analyze PDFs, enhancing research capabilities.
  • 📝 'Collections' is a unique feature that allows users to create custom search formats for specific research tasks, automating the process of information gathering and analysis.
  • ❓ The future competitive landscape between Perplexity AI, Google, and OpenAI's Chat GPT remains uncertain, with all players having the potential to provide advanced search and research capabilities.

Q & A

  • What is Perplexity AI?

    -Perplexity AI is an AI-powered search engine and research platform that provides accurate answers to complex questions. It combines an AI chatbot with web search capabilities to offer ready-made answers.

  • Who founded Perplexity AI and when was it founded?

    -Perplexity AI was founded in August 2022 by CEO Aravan Shrines, who was previously at OpenAI and DeepMind.

  • How much funding did Perplexity AI raise in its Series B round?

    -Perplexity AI raised $100 million in its Series B funding round.

  • What notable investors does Perplexity AI have?

    -Notable investors in Perplexity AI include Jeff Bezos, Bessemer Ventures, Nvidia, and Databricks.

  • How many monthly active users did Perplexity AI have as of January 2024?

    -As of January 2024, Perplexity AI had 10 million monthly active users.

  • What is the difference between Perplexity AI and a traditional search engine like Google?

    -Perplexity AI is referred to as an 'answer engine' and aims to provide direct answers to questions by aggregating information from multiple sources, whereas traditional search engines like Google provide links to web pages that may contain the answers.

  • How does Perplexity AI handle real-time information and updates?

    -Perplexity AI searches the web in real-time to pull the most current information, ensuring that the answers provided are up-to-date and not based on outdated data.

  • What is the 'Focus Mode' feature in Perplexity AI and how does it work?

    -Focus Mode allows users to specify the types of sources they want to focus on, such as Reddit, to narrow down the search results to a particular type of content.

  • Can you attach a PDF to Perplexity AI and ask questions about it?

    -Yes, you can attach a PDF file to Perplexity AI and ask questions about its content, which is useful for analyzing research papers or other documents.

  • What is a 'Collection' in Perplexity AI and how can it be used for research?

    -A 'Collection' in Perplexity AI is a saved search with a specific prompt that can be used repeatedly to perform a particular type of research or analysis in a consistent format.

  • How does Perplexity AI handle questions that require information from multiple sources?

    -Perplexity AI aggregates information from multiple sources to provide a comprehensive answer, unlike traditional search engines or AI chatbots that may provide information based on a single source or static data.

Outlines

00:00

🤖 Introduction to Perplexity AI

Alfie, the presenter, introduces Perplexity AI, an AI-powered search engine and research platform that provides accurate answers to complex questions. Founded by Aravan Shrines, former OpenAI and DeepMind employee, in August 2022, the platform quickly gained popularity, raising $100 million and achieving a $520 million valuation in its Series B funding. With investors like Jeff Bezos and support from companies like Nvidia and Databricks, Perplexity AI reached 10 million monthly active users by January 2024. The platform combines AI chatbot capabilities with web search to provide ready-made answers, positioning itself as an 'answer engine' rather than just a search engine. An example is given where Perplexity AI is able to synthesize information from multiple sources to answer a question about job displacement caused by AI, which traditional search engines like Google struggle to do.

05:02

📊 Perplexity AI vs. Traditional Search and Chat Models

The paragraph discusses the limitations of traditional language models like Chat GPT, which rely on static datasets and are unable to provide real-time information or answers to questions outside their training data. Perplexity AI, on the other hand, can pull real-time information from the internet and provide accurate answers by aggregating information from multiple sources. The presenter compares Perplexity AI's capabilities with Chat GPT 3.5 and Chat GPT 4, noting that while Chat GPT 4 can now search the internet for answers, its responses may still be factually incorrect due to its predictive nature. Perplexity AI is praised for its ability to provide well-rounded answers with real-world citations, overcoming the 'hallucinations' often associated with AI models that lack real-time data access.

10:04

🔍 Advanced Features of Perplexity AI

This section highlights additional features of Perplexity AI, such as 'Focus Mode', which allows users to specify the types of sources they want to focus on, and 'Attach', which enables users to upload PDFs for specific research and summarization. The presenter also introduces 'Collections', a feature that allows users to create custom search templates for specific research tasks, ensuring that the information is presented in a desired format without the need for repetitive setup. An example of a 'Collection' is given, where the presenter sets up a template for competitive blog research, aiming to analyze blog posts for keyword inspiration and identify information gaps for improvement.

15:05

🔖 Wrapping Up and Future Outlook

In the concluding paragraph, the presenter summarizes the capabilities of Perplexity AI as a powerful research tool that can provide real-world information and citations quickly. They ponder the future competitive landscape between Perplexity AI, Google, and OpenAI's Chat GPT, questioning how these platforms will evolve to maintain their edge. The presenter invites viewers to subscribe to the channel and requests suggestions for future video topics, ending the tutorial on Perplexity AI.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Perplexity AI

Perplexity AI is an AI-powered search engine and research platform introduced in the video. It is designed to provide accurate answers to complex questions by combining the capabilities of an AI chatbot with web search. The platform was founded by Aravan Shrines, who previously worked at OpenAI and DeepMind. The video emphasizes how Perplexity AI differentiates itself from traditional search engines by offering ready-made answers rather than just links, which is why its CEO often refers to it as an 'answer engine'.

💡AI Chatbot

An AI chatbot is a software application used to conduct conversations with users through text or voice interactions. In the context of the video, Perplexity AI integrates an AI chatbot with web search capabilities, allowing users to receive direct answers to their queries. The chatbot's ability to understand and respond to user questions is a key feature highlighted in the tutorial.

💡Web Search

Web search refers to the activity of searching for information on the internet using search engines. The video discusses how Perplexity AI enhances traditional web search by not only searching the web but also interpreting and aggregating information from various sources to answer user queries comprehensively.

💡Answer Engine

The term 'answer engine' is used in the video to describe Perplexity AI's approach to providing information. Unlike search engines that return links to potentially relevant pages, an answer engine aims to directly answer user questions by synthesizing information from multiple sources. This concept is central to the video's explanation of Perplexity AI's functionality.

💡Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos is mentioned in the video as one of the notable investors in Perplexity AI. Bezos, known for founding Amazon, is highlighted to emphasize the credibility and financial backing that Perplexity AI has received, which is significant for its rapid growth and user adoption.

💡Monthly Active Users (MAU)

Monthly Active Users (MAU) is a metric used to measure the number of unique visitors to a website within a 30-day period. The video provides a statistic indicating that Perplexity AI had 10 million MAU as of January 2024, showcasing its popularity and widespread use among internet users for research purposes.

💡Valuation

Valuation in the context of the video refers to the estimated value of Perplexity AI as a company. The video states that after its Series B funding round, the company was valued at $520 million, indicating the market's perception of its worth and potential for growth.

💡Collections

Collections in Perplexity AI are a feature that allows users to create and save specific search configurations for recurring research tasks. The video demonstrates how to use collections to perform tailored searches, such as competitive blog research, and how it can streamline the process of obtaining information in a desired format.

💡Focus Mode

Focus Mode is a feature within Perplexity AI that enables users to specify the types of sources they want to prioritize in their searches. As illustrated in the video, this could be useful for someone looking to gather information from a particular type of source, such as Reddit, to answer a specific question.

💡Attach PDF

The 'Attach PDF' feature mentioned in the video allows users to upload a PDF document to Perplexity AI and ask questions about its content. This is useful for analyzing research papers or any document where users need specific information summarized or extracted.

Highlights

Perplexity AI is an AI-powered search engine and research platform providing accurate answers to complex questions.

Founded in August 2022 by CEO Aravan Shrines, previously at OpenAI and DeepMind.

Raised $100 million in funding and reached a $520 million valuation in their Series B round.

Notable investors include Jeff Bezos, Bessemer Ventures, Nvidia, and Databricks.

By January 2024, Perplexity AI had 10 million monthly active users, growing to 60 million by April.

The platform combines AI chatbot capabilities with web search for ready-made answers.

Perplexity's CEO refers to it as an 'answer engine', distinguishing it from traditional search engines.

Example given: asking about job displacement by AI results in direct answers from aggregated sources.

The platform optimizes search by understanding the question and then searching the web for relevant keywords.

Sources are cited, allowing users to click through to the original content.

Compared to Google, Perplexity AI provides a summarized answer across multiple sources, not just links.

Shows how Perplexity AI differs from static language models like Chat GPT, which can't provide real-time data.

Chat GPT 4 is capable of searching the internet in real-time, unlike previous versions.

Focus mode allows users to specify the types of sources they want to focus on, such as Reddit.

Attach feature lets users upload a PDF and ask questions about its content.

Collections feature enables users to create custom search formats for specific research tasks.

Collections can be tailored to output research in a specific format, streamlining the process.

The tutorial raises questions about how Google and Chat GPT will compete with Perplexity AI's capabilities.

Perplexity AI is praised as a powerful research tool that provides real-world citations and factual information.

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