Introduction to Perplexity AI Assistant

Imagine a search engine, a helpful AI assistant, and a tiny researcher all rolled into one. That’s the idea behind Perplexity AI Assistant: you ask in everyday language, it finds trusted information, explains it clearly, and lets you keep asking follow-ups until you’re satisfied. Simple, fast, and beginner-friendly.

What is Perplexity AI Assistant?

Perplexity AI Assistant is an AI-powered answer engine. Instead of showing a long list of links, it reads the web for you, compiles what matters, and responds conversationally. You can refine the answer with follow-up questions, switch focus (e.g., “explain like I’m five”), or ask it to draft, compare, summarize, or translate—all in one place.

• A conversational search assistant: Ask natural questions and get concise, sourced answers you can dig into with follow-ups.
• A research helper: It surveys multiple sources, distills key points, and keeps context across your conversation.
• A writing & reasoning aide: It can outline, draft, compare options, summarize long pages, and translate text on request.

Comet Browser

Comet browser is Perplexity’s AI-native web browser that brings the assistant directly into your browsing. Beyond answering questions, Comet can act on pages: it can click, type, submit forms, and autofill—helping you shop, schedule, research, or summarize without constant manual steps.

Comet benefits:

• Agentic actions: Ask it to handle routines (price comparisons, checkouts, sign-ups) and it will navigate interfaces for you with your confirmation.
• Unified search + context: Summaries and answers appear alongside the page, so you can evaluate and iterate quickly.
• Email & calendar help: It can brief your day, propose meeting times, and draft replies—all within the browser.
• Transparency: Comet logs the steps it takes before finalizing actions, so you stay in control.

Note: Agentic browsers are new and evolving; security researchers have highlighted the need for strong safeguards against tricks like indirect prompt injection. Comet and similar tools are actively improving here.

How It Works

1. Ask in plain English: “Find a quiet café near me open after 9 pm and book a table for Friday.”
2. Review the plan: Comet proposes steps (search → compare → open booking page).
3. Approve actions: It clicks/inputs on your behalf, showing each step and asking before submitting.
4. Refine: Add constraints like budget, distance, or ratings; Comet adjusts and completes the task.

Prompt Examples

Sample Example prompt to run on the AI assistant

• “Compare the top 3 most-viewed videos on TestingDocs YouTube channel.”

Food Tour:

“Plan a 3-day New York food tour under $1,000. 
- Prioritize vegetarian restaurants
- Build a daily schedule with travel times between areas
- Include opening hours, must-try dishes, and an estimated budget
- Format as a checklist I can follow”

More Prompts…

• “Summarize this article in 5 bullet points and extract all dates and numbers.”
• “Draft a polite email to reschedule tomorrow’s meeting; propose 3 time slots next week.”
• “Translate this paragraph to simple English and keep technical terms.”

Tips

• Be specific: Mention goals, constraints (budget, time), and format you want (bullets, table).
• Iterate: Ask follow-ups like “shorter,” “compare options,” or “cite the key stats.”
• Use Comet for actions: When you’re ready, let it navigate forms or complete checkouts—with your approval.