The artificial intelligence company Perplexity has launched a new web browser named Comet. According to the company’s official announcement, the product aims to fundamentally change how people use the internet by deeply integrating an AI assistant into the browsing experience.
The launch and a hands-on review of the new browser were covered by Maxwell Zeff for TechCrunch. Comet’s primary feature is the new Comet Assistant, an AI agent designed to understand the context of what a user is viewing on any webpage. This allows it to perform tasks and answer questions without the user needing to switch tabs or copy information. Perplexity describes this as a shift from simple navigation to a more thought-like, cognitive interaction with the web.
The assistant can be used to summarize content, compare information across different sites, and automate multi-step workflows. Perplexity states that users can ask Comet to perform actions like booking a meeting or sending an email based on information seen on a page. The company’s goal, as articulated by CEO Aravind Srinivas in the TechCrunch report, is to create an “operating system” for the web that helps users across different applications and websites, thereby challenging Google’s dominance in both search and browsing.
Comet is entering a competitive market. Google has been adding its own AI features to its Chrome browser, and other companies like The Browser Company have also released AI-centric browsers. Perplexity hopes to gain an edge by building on its existing user base and its goal to provide accurate, cited answers. The company claims its search products saw significant growth in a recent month, with a more than 20 percent increase in queries month-over-month.
However, an initial test of Comet by TechCrunch revealed both promise and significant limitations. The reporter found the assistant helpful for simple, context-aware tasks like answering questions about a video or a document. It streamlined simple workflows by having constant access to the on-screen content.
For more complex requests, the assistant reportedly failed. When asked to find and book an airport parking spot based on specific criteria, the AI agent hallucinated and entered incorrect dates for the reservation. According to the report, such failures in reliability are a common issue with current AI agents and prevent them from being trustworthy for complex tasks. The review also highlighted that using the assistant’s full capabilities requires granting it extensive permissions to personal data, including the ability to view the screen, send emails, and access calendars, which may raise privacy concerns for some users.
Comet is initially available to subscribers of Perplexity’s premium Max plan ($200/month). The company plans to gradually provide access to users on a waitlist over the summer.