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Recently, Aravind Srinivas, the CEO of Perplexity, made a notable appearance on the TBPN podcast where he elaborated on the companys future initiatives, particularly the upcoming Comet web browser. The announcement has generated significant interest within the tech community, as it highlights the firm's ambitious strategy to enhance user data collection and provide more tailored advertising.

To provide a bit of context, Perplexity is an innovative AI-driven answer engine designed to synthesize information from various online sources. Unlike traditional search engines that simply present users with a list of links, Perplexity aims to deliver concise, cited summaries that directly answer user queries.

During his podcast interview, Srinivas emphasized the limitations of the data currently being collected from users within the Perplexity app. He noted that much of the information gathered is often work-related and, therefore, does not offer the depth necessary to construct a well-rounded user profile. He stated, "That's kind of one of the other reasons we wanted to build a browser, is we want to get data even outside the app to better understand you. Because some of the prompts that people do in these AIs is purely work-related. It is not like that's personal."

By developing the Comet browser, Perplexity aims to expand its data collection capabilities beyond its app. This includes tracking users' browsing habits, purchasing decisions, travel itineraries, and even dining choices. Srinivas pointed out that such information, "tells us so much more about you." He believes that this additional layer of context is crucial for crafting advertisements that resonate with users on a more personal level. He further explained, "We plan to use all the context to build a better user profile and, maybe you know, through our discover feed we could show some ads there."

Perplexitys strategic move to create its own browser signifies a direct challenge to the advertising empire established by Google. This is particularly significant given the current antitrust trial faced by Google, where the U.S. Department of Justice has suggested that the tech giant should divest Chrome, its predominant web browser. Notably, both Perplexity and OpenAI, the organization behind ChatGPT, have expressed interest in acquiring Chrome, should it become available for sale.

Although the launch of the Comet browser has encountered some delays, it is now expected to debut around mid-May. Srinivas has characterized this new development as the "real second product" for Perplexity, which will complement its existing answer engine and mobile app offerings.

Source: TechCrunch