A new tool from Perplexity AI is changing how we find and understand information online. The company’s Deep Research feature can now do in three minutes what might take hours to research manually – whether you’re doing financial analysis, marketing research, or exploring product information.
“We believe everyone should have access to powerful research tools,” states Perplexity in its announcement. Anyone can use the basic version for free, getting five detailed research reports daily. For $20 monthly, users get 500 reports – five times more than what similar tools like ChatGPT offer.
When someone asks a question, the tool searches through hundreds of sources, processing information like an expert researcher. It can help with professional tasks like analyzing market trends, creating detailed financial reports, or conducting thorough product research.
The system works quickly and accurately. In recent testing, it scored 21.1% on Humanity’s Last Exam, a test that measures how well AI systems handle complex questions. This puts it ahead of other well-known AI tools like Google’s Gemini Thinking (6.2%) and Grok-2 (3.8%), though slightly behind ChatGPT’s score of 26.6%.
What makes this tool different is its speed. While ChatGPT‘s similar feature takes 5 to 30 minutes to complete research, Perplexity’s tool typically finishes in 2-4 minutes. This means you can quickly get detailed information about topics ranging from health research to travel planning.
OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman has noted the tool’s efficiency and affordability. The technology builds on China’s DeepSeek AI system, focusing on making complex research simple and fast.
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The tool works by breaking down big questions into smaller parts. It searches multiple sources, reads through information, and connects different pieces to create a complete picture – similar to how a human researcher would approach a new topic. Users can save their research as PDF files or share them with others through Perplexity’s website.
Perplexity has faced some challenges along the way. News organizations like The Wall Street Journal and The New York Post filed a lawsuit in October 2024, claiming the company used their content without permission. In response, Perplexity started working with publishers like Time and Fortune to share revenue when their articles are used.
Despite these challenges, the company continues to grow. Major investors including Jeff Bezos and Nvidia have backed the project, and Perplexity raised $500 million in December 2024, bringing its value to $9 billion.
The tool is currently available on websites, with plans to add it to phone apps and computer programs soon. While it makes research faster and easier, some experts, including The Economist, raise important points about not becoming too dependent on AI for research, as this might limit original thinking and discovery.
As these research tools become more common, they’re changing how people learn and work with information. Perplexity’s approach makes advanced research available to everyone, from researchers analyzing data to professionals preparing expert-level analyses, though users should balance the convenience with maintaining their own research skills.
