Can Comet replace Google Chrome? An in-depth look at Perplexity's new agentic AI browser

Indian Express

5 days ago

Most people experience generative AI today through chatbots like ChatGPT. However, web browsers are emerging as a potential gateway for everyday user interactions with large language models (LLMs).
This shift from standalone chatbots to AI agent-driven web browsers has been underscored by recent product releases such as OpenAI's ChatGPT Agent, which lets AI agents use a browser to surf the web on behalf of the user. Last month, The Browser Company unveiled Dia, which is essentially a web browser integrated with an AI chatbot.
Then there is Comet, Perplexity's desktop browser which goes a step further by offering users access to an in-built AI agent. Google is reportedly testing a similar Gemini integration in Chrome while OpenAI is also rumoured to be developing its own AI-powered web browser.
But why are tech companies increasingly focusing on AI native browsers instead of AI chatbots? It might have something to do with user context. Web browsers offer a better understanding of a user's online activity such as reading articles, writing emails, online shopping, etc. This information might be useful for developers to build AI tools that can automate these tasks.
Perplexity is looking to challenge Google's dominance in web browsing as well as online search. The limited roll-out of Comet comes at a time when both these markets could potentially open up to upstarts like Perplexity, but only if Google is forced to spin off Chrome in the US search antitrust remedies case.
In this context, let's take a look at how Comet is different from Google Chrome, its common use cases, and whether the latest offering could give Perplexity an edge in the rapidly intensifying browser wars.
Comet is an LLM-based web browser that comes with an in-built AI Assistant. Users have the option to link their Google account to the browser in order to transfer all the context and browser extensions from Chrome to Comet.
The browser is built on the Chromium framework, an open-source architecture that is maintained by Google and underpins several other web browsers including Microsoft Edge, Brave, and DuckDuckGo. However, Comet runs on Perplexity's 'answer engine' which is wrapped around foundational LLMs like OpenAI's GPT-4o and Anthropic's Claude 4.0 Sonnet, though it also has its own LLM called Sonar.
Comet can be used to generate summaries of articles and YouTube videos. Users can also ask it to describe an image on their screen or perform deeper research about a particular topic. It is also able to provide AI-generated summaries of all the web pages that feature as open tabs on the browser as well as compare products on those pages.
'Comet is not just another chatbot. It's an AI-native browser that performs operational tasks, like a silent worker running continuously in the background,' Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas was quoted as saying by The Verge.
Comet is available for both Mac and Windows users. However, accessing the browser is currently possible if you are a Perplexity Max subscriber or on the company's early access waitlist. Access to Comet could be available to users for free but the more advanced AI features may continue to be gated behind a subscription tier, Srinivas said in a Reddit AMA held earlier this month.
Firstly, Comet replaces Google Search results with Perplexity's AI 'answer engine. This means users will receive AI-generated information about what they are looking for instead of seeing a web page with a list of blue links to various online websites.
Unlike traditional search engines, Perplexity reportedly surfaces links to relevant websites before providing AI-generated responses to users' search queries. Another key difference between Comet and traditional web browsers is the tabbed interface, which lets users access information quickly. Comet also suggests related content based on what a user is looking at and what they have already read.
To be sure, Google has also been integrating several new features such as AI Overviews and AI Mode in Chrome. Its Gemini chatbot is also accessible through the browser for users in the US.
However, what truly sets Comet apart from Chrome and other AI native web browsers on the market is its agentic capabilities. Comet has an Assistant button at the top-right corner of the browser that opens up a sidebar with a chat interface. Besides search queries, users can ask the Assistant to carry out certain tasks on their behalf.
For instance, you can ask it to write and send an email, unsubscribe from promotional emails, write and publish posts on social media platforms such as LinkedIn, and close all the tabs on the browser, among other activities. The Assistant within Comet is better at completing tasks on its own when users start their prompt with 'take control of my browser and…,' according to a report by The Verge.
Comet's Assistant pulls user context from third-party apps. This means that the browser's agentic capabilities work only when users are logged in to these apps. 'You can still take over from the agent and complete [the task] when you feel like it is not able to do it,' Srinivas said.
However, Comet's agentic features may not work reliably for all tasks. 'Some of the more complicated agentic actions like shopping do have a higher failure rate than simpler tasks, but this is actually a limitation of current AI models. So this will only get easier and better in Comet,' a Perplexity spokesperson was quoted as saying.
Perplexity recorded over 780 million user queries in May alone this year, according to Srinivas. While the company's search products have witnessed more than 20 per cent growth month-over-month, AI agents are more compute-intensive than chatbots which means that they are more expensive to run. These costs can be offset by reaching more paying users. Perplexity is currently in talks with mobile device makers to pre-install its new Comet browser on smartphones, according to a report by Reuters.