Last week, Perplexity AI launched Comet, an AI web browser ready to take on the likes of Google Chrome and Safari.
Currently, the new Chromium-based web browser is only available to a select few who were either lucky enough to be chosen from Comet’s waitlist or subscribers to the new $200 / AU$300 a month Perplexity Max.
I’ve been lucky enough to get press access to Comet and have been using the AI-powered internet browser for the last few days. Today, I’m going to share my first impressions and give a breakdown of how Comet works.
While I’ve only been using Comet for around 48 hours, I’ve experienced enough to see the potential of the product and get a glimpse into the future of AI-powered web browsers.
From booking flights on your behalf to helping you search the web more efficiently, Comet has given me a new perspective on AI and is showcasing exactly what the future of web browsing could look like.
What is Comet?
Comet is Perplexity AI’s agentic Chrome competitor that mixes the world of AI assistants with web browsing. Simply put, you can access the Perplexity assistant from within Comet at any point and ask it to perform tasks on your behalf.
From booking a restaurant reservation with details you provide, or simply browsing the web to compile information on a topic, Comet is a completely new way of spending time online, and I’ve found my first 48 hours to be incredibly eye-opening.
When I spoke with Perplexity to request access to Comet, a member of the company’s PR told me it would take a week or so to have my first “wow moment” with the web browser. After playing around with Comet, I think that’s an understatement, as my first few hours with the software felt like I was learning how to use the internet for the very first time again.
It doesn’t feel natural to write a request prompt to AI and then continue doing something else, so at first, I found my time with Comet far slower than I had imagined. I was asking the assistant to complete tasks and then monitoring the AI as it proceeded to do what I had asked.
It wasn’t until I started to force myself to move on with my life, leaving Comet to its own devices, that something truly clicked. You see, I could easily do most of the things Comet is capable of doing on my own, and faster at that.
Still, once the workflow of asking it to figure things out so I could focus on other, more pressing tasks started to make sense, I began to see Comet’s true potential.
Comet unlocks the internet
If you’re like me, you probably have a million things you need to do in a day, from booking vet appointments, sorting dinner, ordering prescription medication, and even finding deals to buy new games like the upcoming Donkey Kong Bananza for Nintendo Switch 2.
Tasks like these are always on my mind, clouding my brain from getting the things that matter most, like writing an article for work. Comet solves this issue, allowing you to ask an AI agent to do these mundane tasks for you while you focus on everything else that actually requires your energy.
For example, while I’ve been writing this article, I’ve asked Comet to browse Michelin Guide restaurants for my upcoming trip to Copenhagen based on specific criteria, check hotel availability for my honeymoon next year in Japan, and even get me the best deal on Donkey Kong Bananza which I forgot to preorder before its release later this week.
While Comet has been handling those tasks, I’ve been able to devote my entire concentration to work, unlocking a level of productivity that is often unachievable when working constantly connected to the internet.
Comet is also capable of booking restaurants and other appointments on your behalf, just by asking the assistant and giving some information, like times and dates. It’s worth noting that Comet is still in beta, so I didn’t feel truly comfortable giving the AI my personal details to complete a booking for a London steakhouse next week, as I had requested.
That said, like all things AI, the more information you’re willing to give up, the more Comet can help you navigate the messy and confusing 21st century.
It’s only the beginning
Perplexity hasn’t announced when Comet will be officially launching, or when it will become available to free users. That said, we’re entering a new wave of AI-powered web browsers that is only going to get better with time, with more options.
Just last week, reports broke of OpenAI launching a Chrome competitor similar to Comet, and after using Perplexity AI’s take on the agentic browser, I understand precisely why.
You see, just like Apple’s “AI for the rest of us” mantra from the company’s Apple Intelligence reveal, agentic web browsers feel like the epitome of useful AI, and after embracing Comet, I want to see more products like it.
In an age where we are constantly seeking innovations to transform our lives, it’s become increasingly common for products and software to not live up to their billing. Comet might still have its quirks, like issues related to some prompts crashing when the AI meets a hurdle, but initial impressions leave me yearning for more. I didn’t understand the point of an AI web browser, but after 48 hours with Comet, I’m convinced that having a smart assistant built into your internet experience will transform our lives forever.
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