I was against AI but this app is so good that I’m changing my mind

Like many people who write for a living, I am notoriously anti-AI. However, a new tool from Perplexity is making me rethink the benefits of using AI as part of my productivity workflow.

What is Perplexity AI?

Perplexity AI is described as the “Swiss Army Knife of information discovery and curiosity.” Really, that’s a fancy way of saying you can ask it questions and it will use its magical AI superpowers to search through a seemingly endless database to help you find the answers.

Perplexity offers a two-tiered service with both a paid and a free version. If you’ve used something like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, you’re probably familiar with this type of interface. On the other hand, if you’re not familiar, we’ve put together a guide to help you better understand how AI works.

The free tier of Perplexity AI allows for basic queries, email and article summaries, and code generation. Perplexity also provides up-to-date information about the source so you can avoid the dreaded AI hallucination problem.

However, things get more interesting when you subscribe to the Pro tier for $20/month or $200/year. For example, a pro subscription means you can switch AI models from the default Perplexity to something like the Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Sonar Large, GPT-4o or Grok-2.

The professional search is also more detailed and accurate than the free quick search. It also entitles you to upgraded support, an exclusive Discord, and the ability to upload unlimited documents for analysis.

How confusion differs from other desktop AIs

There are tons of generative AI chatbots out there, all with different pros and cons. However, a few things set Perplexity AI apart from some other desktop AI assistants – at least for me. The first is its built-in citation function.

Confusion lists several links at the top of each question as it provides you with an answer. As someone who does extensive research, I appreciate the ability to track down any source material Perplexity finds so I can review it before using it.

Second, Perplexity also updates its information in real-time, meaning you get relevant answers to your questions and answers filled with the most up-to-date information.

Finally, there’s Copilot, an interactive search assistant that asks clarifying questions to help you personalize the answers to your search queries. It’s like having someone personally invested in finding the right answer for you.

Overall, the feature set is quite rich. However, these few features are only the most prominent ones. Honestly, the fastest way to learn everything Perplexity can do is to try it yourself.

How can I use Perplexity AI?

I use Perplexity in a few ways that may offer you some insight.

Product research

I was recently looking for a new harness for one of my dogs. Instead of trying to comb through several sites, I asked Perplexity to recommend the best dog harness in the US at the time. Not only did Perplexity find a great harness endorsed by various publications, but he also designed a harness that I probably wouldn’t have bought if I had searched Amazon.

Distilling evidence-based information

Last week, I asked Perplexity to help me design a science-based, evidence-based exercise program. He came back with quite an extensive list of suggestions. Could I compile all the science and finally find the best practices myself? Maybe. However, it would undoubtedly take up a considerable amount of my time.

I asked Perplexity for help, instead focusing on the information I needed and giving me a targeted list of trusted sources to look at. This saved me countless hours that I could have wasted reading and analyzing other people’s information that did not meet my scientifically based criteria.

Website analysis

Because Perplexity is primarily a predictive tool, it is great for text analysis. This means that it can find all possible commonalities on the web if you ask it the right questions. I often ask Perplexity to generate a list of common SEO keywords for a topic, for example. It will help me optimize my content to reach readers like you more easily.

More ways to use confusion

Ideally, Perplexity is best at sorting and organizing information in a way that allows for easy digestion. If you need to buy a new couch or do some academic research on the best breakfast foods, this tool is the perfect helper. It won’t do the work for you by itself, but it will save some fluff and some time spent sorting through the information.

If you’re going to use it, I suggest you replace your standard Google search with this tool for a week and see if the answers you get are more or less helpful. Additionally, Perplexity works better when you include specific qualifiers in your questions.

Qualifiers like “You are an AKC Certified Dog Trainer” or “Help me find evidence-based research” are extremely helpful. We’ve previously compiled a list of effective generative AI prompting techniques to maximize tools like Perplexity.

Why confusion made me change my mind about AI

So let’s be clear: Perplexity is not sponsoring this post. I just love its AI tool. I even bought a year’s Pro subscription because I love it so much. Maybe you don’t feel the same way I do.

Before I encountered this AI assistant, I was horrified at the prospect of installing AI into my workflows. This is mainly because as a person who writes for the web, I get a little sick of being told that AI will eventually replace me and the craft I’ve spent decades honing.

However, in holding on to this prejudice against AI tools, I failed to see that I wasn’t becoming more obsolete by using them. Instead, I found that Perplexity’s AI made me more efficient and informed. This means I can do more of the work I want while avoiding some of the more time-consuming tasks I don’t have.