How Perplexity.ai Is Disrupting The Future Of Search
TLDRPerplexity.ai aims to revolutionize search by transitioning from links to direct answers, building an ultimate knowledge app. Its founder, Aran Serenas, shares his journey from India to Silicon Valley, highlighting the importance of open source and the potential of AI to create new search experiences. Perplexity's unique approach to citing sources and its commitment to providing fact-grounded answers sets it apart in the AI landscape.
Takeaways
- 🚀 Perplexity.ai's mission is to transition the world from links to answers and build the ultimate knowledge app, aiming to provide users with a smarter experience every day.
- 🤖 Aran, the founder of Perplexity.ai, was inspired by his experiences at Google DeepMind and Open AI, and his ambition to create a company in the same vein.
- 🌐 Perplexity.ai started by focusing on searching databases and spreadsheets, and later expanded to searching the web by citing sources, distinguishing itself from traditional search engines like Google.
- 💡 Perplexity.ai's unique approach is to provide fact-grounded, citation-powered answers, filling a gap in the market for AI chat query platforms that reference their information sources.
- 📈 The company's growth has been exponential since its inception, validating its thesis that the answer engine format is the future of interacting with information on the web.
- 💭 There are concerns about how AI chatbots might disincentivize content creators, but Perplexity.ai believes in a model where value created per query is shared between the answer provider and content creators.
- 🔄 Open source and closed source models will likely coexist, with each having its strengths; open source models lack the best models, which are typically developed by companies with significant resources like Meta.
- 🌐 Perplexity.ai supports the idea of not relying too heavily on one provider and encourages the ability to customize AI models for specific needs.
- 🤖 The future of AI should involve a balance between open and closed source, ensuring access to powerful technology while maintaining safety and preventing misuse.
- 💬 Aran emphasizes the importance of community involvement in AI development for safety and innovation, advocating for widespread access and education on the technology.
Q & A
What is Perplexity.ai's mission?
-Perplexity.ai's mission is to transition the world from links to answers and build the ultimate knowledge app.
What concern do some people have about the future of content creation with the advent of AI chatbots?
-Some people are worried that AI chatbots that can answer questions directly might disincentivize content creators from continuing to create content, as users may no longer need to navigate to the content's original site.
How did Aran's interest in starting a company develop?
-Aran's interest in starting a company was deeply impacted by the movie 'Pirates of Silicon Valley', which led him to desire to be in Silicon Valley and eventually pursue a PhD to get there.
What was Aran's experience like when he first started working at OpenAI?
-Aran found OpenAI to be a very humbling experience, as he was surrounded by incredibly talented superstars, which made him realize he still had a lot to learn and achieve.
How did Perplexity.ai initially gain traction and credibility?
-Perplexity.ai initially gained traction and credibility by offering a unique search experience over Twitter data, which impressed investors and allowed them to attract engineers to join their team.
What is Perplexity.ai's approach to AI and content creation?
-Perplexity.ai's approach is to provide fact-grounded, citation-powered answers, which gives content creators attribution and ensures that the value created per query is shared among those surfacing the answer and the sources cited.
What is Aran's perspective on the future of large language models between open source and closed source?
-Aran believes that the future will be a combination of both open source and closed source, where closed source models will continue to be ahead but open source alternatives are necessary to prevent a single company from controlling the narrative.
How does Aran view the role of AI in content creation and attribution?
-Aran views AI as a tool that should enhance content creation by providing fact-grounded answers and giving proper attribution to content creators, thus fostering a two-way relationship between AI, content creators, and users.
What was the key advice given to Aran by his investor that helped shape Perplexity.ai's direction?
-The key advice was to focus on more narrow things, build a team, and then gradually expand towards the larger vision of disrupting search, which led to the development of their unique search experience over Twitter data.
How does Perplexity.ai differentiate itself from traditional search engines?
-Perplexity.ai differentiates itself by providing direct answers instead of links, summarizing content with citations, and focusing on deep, fact-grounded research rather than just surface-level search results.
What is Aran's vision for the future of Perplexity.ai?
-Aran's vision is for Perplexity.ai to become the ultimate knowledge app where people feel smarter every day by asking questions, discovering new threads, and sharing interesting queries with each other.
Outlines
🚀 Introduction to the Podcast and Perplexity
The podcast host, Matt Wolf, introduces the show's mission to keep listeners updated on the latest AI news, tools, and trends. The co-host, Nathan Lans, and Matt discuss the impact of AI on content creators and introduce their guest, Aran Senos, the CEO of Perplexity. Aran shares his journey from Chennai to California, his experiences at Google, DeepMind, and OpenAI, and the founding of Perplexity, a company that aims to transition the world from links to answers. The hosts express their support for open-source AI and discuss the benefits of Perplexity's approach to AI-powered research.
🌟 Aran's Journey and Perplexity's Beginnings
Aran Senos shares his inspiration from the movie 'Pirates of Silicon Valley' and his decision to pursue a PhD to get to Silicon Valley. He talks about his research at IISc, his admission to UC Berkeley, and his work at OpenAI and DeepMind. Aran discusses the early days of Perplexity, the challenges of starting a company, and the advice he received from investors to focus on a narrower aspect of search technology. He also shares his vision for a future where search is visual and wearable technology plays a key role.
🔍 Perplexity's Evolution and Market Strategy
Aran explains how Perplexity started by focusing on searching databases and spreadsheets, and how they approached companies with their demos but faced initial rejection. He describes the turning point when they decided to search over public datasets, specifically Twitter, to demonstrate their technology's capabilities. Aran talks about the development of their social search features and how they managed to attract investors and engineers after showcasing their demo. He also discusses the importance of differentiation and the decision to position Perplexity as an answer engine rather than a search engine.
📈 Perplexity's Growth and Vision for the Future
Aran outlines Perplexity's mission to transition the world from links to answers and build the ultimate knowledge app. He emphasizes the desire to create a platform where users feel smarter every day. Aran addresses the concern about the impact of AI on content creation and argues for a model where value created by AI is shared between the AI company, the content creators, and the users. He also discusses the balance between open-source and closed-source AI models and the importance of having alternatives in the market.
🤖 Open Source vs. Closed Source AI Models
The conversation shifts to the debate between open source and closed source AI models. Aran and the hosts discuss the advantages of both approaches and the role of companies like Meta in open sourcing AI models. They explore the idea of a combination of both models for the future and the importance of not relying solely on one provider. The discussion also touches on the potential risks of having a single company control the narrative through AI and the benefits of widespread access to AI technology for safety and innovation.
🎙️ Closing Thoughts and Call to Action
Aran shares his thoughts on the importance of having multiple entities involved in AI development to prevent bias and ensure safety. He emphasizes the need for a collaborative ecosystem where companies can learn from each other and improve AI technology. The hosts thank Aran for his insights and invite listeners to explore Perplexity, with Matt mentioning his experience using the platform. Aran encourages listeners to follow him and Perplexity on Twitter for updates and insights into the world of AI.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Perplexity.ai
💡AI
💡Content Creation
💡Chatbots
💡Open Source
💡Venture Capitalists
💡Knowledge App
💡Search Engine
💡Silicon Valley
💡Disruptive Technology
Highlights
Perplexity.ai's mission is to transition the world from links to answers and build the ultimate knowledge app.
AI chatbots may disincentivize content creators, but Perplexity.ai believes in a model that supports open source and shares value with content creators.
Perplexity.ai's founder, Aran, was inspired by the movie 'Pirates of Silicon Valley' to move to California and pursue his career in AI.
Aran's experience at Google DeepMind and OpenAI shaped his vision for creating a unique AI platform that could disrupt the search engine market.
Perplexity.ai differentiates itself by citing sources and providing fact-grounded, citation-powered answers.
The company started by focusing on searching over databases and CSV files, then expanded to public datasets like Twitter.
Perplexity.ai's initial product resonated with users, leading to exponential growth in traffic and investor interest.
The decision to be an answer engine, not a search engine, was a key strategic move for Perplexity.ai to stand out from Google.
Aran believes in a future where AI companies share the value created per query with content creators and sources, similar to the Spotify model.
Open source and closed source models will coexist, with closed source likely leading in innovation but open source providing necessary alternatives.
Meta's incentive to open source AI models is to benefit from the innovations of the broader engineering community, improving their own products.
Aran discusses the importance of not having a single company control the narrative from AI bots, advocating for a more distributed approach.
Perplexity.ai's Chrome extension allows users to search anything on a site or domain, offering a new way to interact with web content.
The podcast episode features a deep dive into the past, present, and future of AI, with insights from Aran's diverse experiences in the field.
Aran's journey from India to Silicon Valley and his work at prestigious tech companies showcases the power of determination and vision in technology.
The episode explores the impact of AI on content creation and the potential need for new models that ensure creators are credited for their work.
Perplexity.ai's commitment to open source and being agnostic to the underlying large language model reflects a broader trend in AI development.