Perplexity has launched its own freemium “Deep Research” feature, joining other AI giants like Google and OpenAI in the race for advanced research tools. Announced on Friday, this new capability aims to deliver comprehensive answers with credible citations tailored for professional use, setting itself apart from typical consumer chatbots.
The feature is currently accessible via the web, with plans to integrate it into Mac, iOS, and Android apps soon. Users can activate Deep Research through a drop-down menu, generating detailed reports that can be exported as PDFs or shared as Perplexity Pages. The tool employs an iterative process to search and analyze documents, mimicking human research methods.
Perplexity’s tool notably outperformed many competitors in a benchmarking test, scoring 21.1%, while OpenAI’s Deep Research led at 26.6%. Unlike OpenAI’s $200 monthly subscription, Perplexity offers its Deep Research for free, allowing limited daily queries for non-subscribers and unlimited access for paid users. ⏱️
While it’s too early to assess the long-term impact of these tools on research practices, experts have raised concerns about potential drawbacks, such as reduced creativity and over-reliance on AI for insights. As the landscape of AI research tools evolves, Perplexity’s offering may provide a quicker and more accessible option for casual researchers.
