Perplexity AI has introduced a new tool called Deep Research, which aims to provide professional-grade, in-depth research with real citations. The tool is designed to offer detailed answers to complex questions across various domains, including finance, marketing, and product research. Deep Research works by iteratively searching, reading documents, and refining its research plan as it learns more about the subject.
It then compiles the findings into a comprehensive report that can be exported as a PDF or shared as a Perplexity Page. One of the key advantages of Perplexity’s Deep Research is its accessibility. The tool is available for free, with non-subscribers having a limited number of queries per day and paying subscribers enjoying unlimited access.
This sets it apart from other AI research tools, such as Deep Research, which requires a $200-per-month Pro subscription.
Deep Research democratizes expert information
In terms of performance, Perplexity’s Deep Research scored 21.1% on an AI benchmarking test with expert-level questions in various academic fields.
While this score surpasses many other models, it falls short of Deep Research, which scored 26.6%. However, Perplexity’s tool performs tasks more quickly, completing most in under three minutes as opposed to 5 to 30 minutes. Perplexity’s CEO, Aravind Srinivas, emphasized the company’s goal of democratizing expertise on any topic and making it widely accessible and useful.
“The efficiency of open source models lets us make our app way faster and cheaper, allowing us to open up access to all,” he added. The launch of Perplexity’s Deep Research represents a significant addition to the company’s offerings and a potential shift in how research is conducted. However, concerns remain about the limitations of AI-powered research tools, such as their tendency to over-rely on easily available sources and the risk of diminishing opportunities for original thinking.
