Perplexity, the AI-powered search platform, has published a getting-started guide that sets out how its service works and introduces Comet, a new browser the company is developing to integrate web search, file handling and AI assistance into a single workflow.
The guide describes Perplexity as combining live web search with multiple AI models to produce answers backed by citations users can verify, positioning the platform between a traditional search engine and a standalone AI assistant.
Functionality is organised into three modes: Research, for deep analysis of complex topics; Search, for fast retrieval of information; and Labs, a creative and technical environment for building interactive dashboards, coding applications and detailed documents using advanced AI models.
Comet, the company's forthcoming browser, is designed to execute tasks directly within the browser window, allowing users to ask questions about uploaded files and search the web without switching between applications.
Labs is presented as the platform's most technically ambitious environment, letting users run end-to-end workflows and turn ideas into working projects using the most capable models available.
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The guide also offers practical tips for formulating questions effectively and using Labs to develop projects from initial concept to finished output.
Perplexity frames the overall product as "an AI-powered answer engine for fast, trustworthy research," emphasising source attribution as a distinguishing feature relative to AI assistants that generate responses without linking to underlying material.
The recap
- Perplexity releases a getting started guide and feature overview
- Offers Research, Search and Labs modes for different tasks
- Use Labs to build dashboards, coding apps and documents