Spike Jonze’s 2013 sci-fi romance Her is now a reality: We chat
with AI assistants daily, and even our search experiences are significantly
shaped by natural language processing and machine learning. Perplexity, the popular AI-powered search engine, is
one powerful tool that transforms how we access and interact with information
nowadays.
In this blog, we will:
Explain what Perplexity AI is and its key features
List how to use Perplexity AI in 5 different ways
Share how to use Perplexity AI step-by-step (both for free and Pro versions)
Highlight the best practices to maximize your Perplexity experience
Let’s get started.
What is Perplexity AI?
Perplexity is an AI-powered search engine which directly answers user
queries in a conversational way. Unlike traditional search engines, it
does not give a list of links to provide information. It rather generates
precise, contextually relevant answers tailored to user intent. (Think of it as the ChatGPT of search engines.)
The tool uses natural language processing (NLP) to understand the intent
behind your search query. To put it simply, its AI understands your question,
retrieves relevant information from a wide range of sources, and then synthesizes
those answers into one single, coherent answer.
As a user, you can:
Ask follow-up questions to Perplexity within the same concept
Summarize lengthy articles or documents
Organize your Threads (conversations) by project or topic
See and access the list of sources Perplexity links to as references
5 Use Cases for Perplexity AI
If you’re curious about how to use Perplexity AI, the following 5 popular
applications can demonstrate how you can utilize its power.
Academic research: Perplexity can be a great tool for
research, especially for students and academics. You can quickly find precise
information on various topics to save time and enhance the depth of your
research.
Content creation: Perplexity can assist writers in generating
new ideas, researching topics, creating outlines, refining content, and
fact-checking.
Learning: As a valuable tool for learners of all ages,
Perplexity can break down complex concepts into digestible chunks or even
give personalized feedback on your work.
Business/market research: Perplexity can be used by businesses
for various purposes, such as analyzing market trends and competitors,
gathering data, or answering questions by customers.
Everyday questions: For everyday queries like general
knowledge questions, Perplexity can offer reliable information at your
fingertips.
How to Use Perplexity AI for Free
Now let’s move on to how to use Perplexity AI for free. We recommend you to create an account and sign in, as this will give you access to certain features like saving your search history and customization.
We’ll start with a simple question.
You can set a “Focus” as demonstrated in the image. We’ll choose “All”,
which allows Perplexity to search across the entire internet to generate
a relevant answer.
Additionally, you can toggle on the Pro option, which
we’ll cover in detail in the next section. You can also attach files, such
as a paper or transcript,
to provide additional context related to your query.
Press “Enter”, and Perplexity will give a comprehensive answer
to your question by gathering and synthesizing information from sources
across the web. These sources are listed just under your query. Feel free
to click “Search Images” or “Search Videos” on the right
side to see visuals relevant to your query.
You can scroll down to see other questions related to your query. Click
one of the questions to see its full answer.
You can also choose to “Rewrite” the answer to your query by choosing
among different large language models including Perplexity AI’s own Pro
Search, Anthropic’s Claude 3.5, OpenAI’s GPT-4o, and more. However, this feature requires a Pro account.
Additionally, you can edit your query to make changes.
What if you want to add your query (thread) to a collection for
organization? Just click the three dots in the top right corner of your
screen and choose “Add to collection”.
A pop-up window will appear. You can give a title to your collection,
add an emoji, write a description, add an AI prompt to affect every thread
in your collection, and manage privacy settings.
To see all your threads and collections, click “Library” on the
left-side menu on the main page.
We’ve highlighted that one of the most distinctive features of Perplexity AI is its ability to answer follow-up questions. This conversational search experience allows users to get detailed information and explore topics deeper.
Perplexity’s free version enables you to ask
5 follow-up questions per day, which reloads every 4 hours. We
asked one, as demonstrated in the image above.
When you hit enter, an answer will be generated to your follow-up question.
You can ask more follow-up questions within your daily limit.
How to Use Perplexity AI Pro (Formerly Copilot)
The free version of Perplexity provides 5 Pro searches daily, while its
Pro plan (previously known as Copilot) offers 600 Pro searches per day.
Let’s ask the same question, but this time we’ll toggle on the Pro option.
As you can see, Perplexity Pro gave us a more organized and comprehensive
answer with more resources. (While the free version linked to 5 sources, Pro version linked to 15.)
Compared to free version, Perplexity Pro also listed different, more specific
related questions.
Now let’s ask a follow-up question to Perplexity Pro: How can I cool my body directly in summer? Here
is its answer with actionable tips.
In short, Perplexity Pro performs deeper research by using advanced AI models like GPT-4o and Claude 3 Opus.
Best Practices for Using Perplexity AI
Before we conclude our blog, we want to share how to use Perplexity AI
in the best way possible with some actionable strategies. Here are the
tips you can adopt:
Write effective prompts. This is the core of the AI search
experience. Make sure you are clear about what you want to achieve, use
concise language, and leave no room for ambiguity.
Choose the right search mode. Perplexity comes with 6
search modes: All, Math, Academic, Video, Writing, and Social.
Each has a different purpose, and selecting the right one can significantly
improve the relevance and accuracy of search results.
Review and refine outputs. After receiving the initial
results, analyze them critically and make adjustments to your prompts if
needed. This will help Perplexity provide even more precise and relevant
information for your next search.
Set up your profile. Sign in andgo
to your Profile page to
introduce yourself for more personalized answers. For example, you can
state if you prefer concise summaries or in-depth analysis, or list certain
sources you trust most.
Experiment with different prompts. Try out various ways
of phrasing your queries, and see how Perplexity responds. This can help
you discover the most efficient ways to get the information you exactly
need.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Perplexity AI free to use?
Yes, Perplexity AI is free to use. The standard free version offers unlimited
Quick (basic) searches and 5 Pro searches per day. If you’re looking for
more advanced features like integration into sophisticated AI models, image
generation, or file analysis, you can subscribe to Perplexity Pro.
Is Perplexity safe to use?
Yes, Perplexity is generally safe to use. However, sometimes AI models
can generate inaccurate answers, especially on complex topics. If you’re
wondering how to use Perplexity AI safely, it’s best to always double-check
information you’ve been given with reliable sources.
Is Perplexity AI better than ChatGPT?
This depends on your needs. While Perplexity is a powerful AI search engine
that can provide accurate and well-sourced answers, ChatGPT can handle
a wider range of tasks like creative writing and coding. We recommend you
to utilize both tools; for instance, you can use Perplexity as a starting
point for research, and then ChatGPT to draft a narrative.
How to use Perplexity AI for research paper?
Learning how to use Perplexity AI can help you write a research paper
more efficiently. You can use the tool to gather related information, find
relevant academic sources, and explore key topics in your field. Furthermore,
you can verify statistics with Perplexity’s citations or identify gaps
in your research area.
Can I generate images with Perplexity AI?
Yes, you can generate images with Perplexity AI, but only with a
Pro account. The tool can create images that will complement your search
results. This will make complex topics easier to understand and enhance
your learning experience.
Summary
In this blog, we guided you on how to use Perplexity AI and perform searches
with both its free and Pro versions. We also shared actionable tips on
leveraging Perplexity in the best possible way.
As of July 2024, the AI-powered search engine just announced new upgrades to its Pro search. The tool can now chain
complex queries with multi-step reasoning and provide more in-depth answers
with greater efficiency. Meanwhile, the free version may see new developments
in upcoming months, leading to improved search capabilities and experience
for all users.
