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Time of India
10 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
AI browser 'Comet' by Perplexity could take over your calendar, inbox and job
Perplexity AI , a rising player in the artificial intelligence space backed by Nvidia , Jeff Bezos , Accel , and Eric Schmidt, has put a bold new idea on the table. Its CEO, Aravind Srinivas, claims their latest product, an AI-powered browser called Comet , could soon replace two staple roles in most offices: recruiters and executive assistants. 'Comet is not just another chatbot,' Srinivas told The Verge's Decoder podcast. 'It's an AI-native browser that performs operational tasks, like a silent worker running continuously in the background.' 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But Srinivas isn't talking about hypothetical features. He says these functions are already built into the product. What it can do today At the heart of Comet's appeal is its tight integration with platforms like Gmail, Google Calendar, LinkedIn, and Google Sheets. That connectivity allows it to automate entire workflows without needing constant instructions. For recruiters, Srinivas says Comet can already handle the full candidate pipeline. 'A recruiter's work worth one week is just one prompt: sourcing and reach outs,' he said. From there, the tool can 'keep following up, keep a track of their responses. If some people respond, go and update the Google Sheets, mark the status as responded or in progress and follow up with those candidates, sync with my Google calendar, and then resolve conflicts and schedule a chat, and then push me a brief ahead of the meeting.' Live Events He added, 'Some of these things should be proactive. It doesn't even have to be a prompt.' The same goes for administrative tasks. Comet can manage meetings, schedule conflicts, triage emails, and prepare documents—all using natural language. Srinivas believes this is enough to make both roles largely redundant. Why this is more than just a feature Srinivas doesn't want Comet to be seen as just another AI tool. His vision is much bigger. He wants Comet to evolve into what he calls an " AI operating system " for white-collar workers. A system that runs in the background, executes commands through simple prompts, and reduces the need for manual input altogether. His logic is that if you can get meaningful work done in a few clicks—or with no clicks at all—users will be willing to pay for it. 'And at scale, if it helps you to make a few million bucks, does it not make sense to spend $2,000 for that prompt? It does, right? So I think we're going to be able to monetise in many more interesting ways than chatbots for the browser,' he said on Decoder. Still in Beta, but already looking ahead At the moment, Comet is still in invite-only beta and limited to premium users. But invites for free users have opened up, with some features likely to stay behind a paywall. In a Reddit AMA earlier this week, Srinivas confirmed that free access would expand over time, though advanced AI-powered features may remain reserved for paying customers. The company isn't stopping at desktop browsers either. Talks are already underway with smartphone makers to get Comet pre-installed, which would place it in direct competition with Google Chrome and Apple Safari. Srinivas admitted this will be hard but believes it could be a 'game-changer for user growth.' The company has just raised $500 million in funding and is preparing to scale from a few hundred thousand testers to 'tens to hundreds of millions' of users by next year. The wider impact: Skills divide or workplace revolution? In an interview with Matthew Berman, Srinivas warned that people who fail to learn how to use AI tools will quickly fall behind. 'People who really are at the frontier of using AIs are going to be way more employable than people who are not. That's guaranteed to happen,' he said. He also advised, 'Spend less time doomscrolling on Instagram' and instead invest time in learning AI tools 'not for the company's benefit, but simply because that's your way to, like, add value to the new society.' He acknowledged the pace of change is daunting. 'Every three months or six months, it does take a toll on people, and maybe they just give up.' Still, he believes those who adapt will be the ones to shape the next wave of job creation, especially through entrepreneurship. A debate that's far from settled Srinivas's claims aren't happening in a vacuum. Other voices in the tech industry are sounding similar alarms. Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, has predicted that up to 50 percent of entry-level office jobs may disappear in five years. Ford CEO Jim Farley echoed that, warning that half of white-collar jobs in the US are under threat from AI. Not everyone agrees. Nvidia's Jensen Huang has said that while AI has changed his job, it hasn't made it obsolete. Salesforce's Marc Benioff also argues that AI is meant to support, not replace. But there's little doubt that workplace automation is picking up speed. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy recently urged employees to embrace AI tools or risk redundancy. As platforms like Comet become more capable, the pressure to adapt is only growing. The story of Comet is not just about replacing tasks. It's about redefining what work looks like and who gets to do it. Whether it becomes a useful co-worker or a disruptive force depends on how companies and workers respond. What's clear is that the line between human and machine output in office work is becoming harder to see. And the pace of that change is no longer theoretical. It's already in motion.
Mint
a day ago
- Business
- Mint
‘Just one prompt': Perplexity CEO says his AI browser can replace two key roles every workplace depends on
San Francisco based AI startup Perplexity has been taking the competition to Google first with its generative AI backed search engine and now with a native AI browser called Comet. However, it's not just Google's lunch money that Perplexity is after, the company's CEO Aravind Srinivas in a recent interview with The Verge revealed that there are at least two white collar jobs that Perplexity's Comet browser should be able to take away soon. What are these two roles then? Well, it's the roles the roles that any workplace normally relies on, recruiters and administrative assistants. In the latest episode of The Verge's 'Decoder' podcast, Srinivas explained how Comet will eventually be able to replace the job of a recruiter after the introduction of a bettter reasoning model like a GPT-5 or Claude 4.5. 'A recruiter's work worth one week is just one prompt: sourcing and reach outs. And then you've got to do state tracking.' Srinivas said on the podcast. 'you want it to keep following up, keep a track of their responses. If some people respond, go and update the Google Sheets, mark the status as responded or in progress and follow up with those candidates, sync with my Google calendar, and then resolve conflicts and schedule a chat, and then push me a brief ahead of the meeting. Some of these things should be proactive. It doesn't even have to be a prompt.' he added Sinivas also notes that Perplexity has the ambition to make its Comet browser feel more like an operating system which runs processes like these in the background and implements commands based on natural language prompts. Comet browser is currently only available to Perplexity's paying customers but the company has also opened invites for free users who should get access to the AI powered product in due time. In a Reddit AMA session earlier in the week, Srinivas had confirmed that Comet browser will be available for even free users but some of the AI powered agentic tasks could be under a paywall. During the latest podcast Srinivas showed optimism in the possibility that users would want to pay for Comet in the long run because of the funtionality it offers. 'And at scale, if it helps you to make a few million bucks, does it not make sense to spend $2,000 for that prompt? It does, right? So I think we're going to be able to monetize in many more interesting ways than chatbots for the browser.' he added.
Hans India
a day ago
- Business
- Hans India
Perplexity CEO Says AI Browser ‘Comet' Could Replace Recruiters, Executive Assistants
In a bold proclamation that's sending ripples across tech and corporate sectors, Perplexity AI's CEO Aravind Srinivas believes the company's latest product, Comet, could soon displace two essential white-collar roles—recruiters and executive assistants. Revealed during an episode of The Verge's Decoder podcast, Comet is not just another AI assistant. It's an AI-powered browser designed to manage high-level operational tasks, quietly running in the background like a digital employee. According to Srinivas, Comet goes well beyond web searches and chat prompts—it's capable of handling real work, end-to-end. What sets Comet apart is its deep integration with widely-used tools like Gmail, Google Calendar, and LinkedIn. Through these platforms, it performs tasks that are traditionally managed by human professionals—scheduling, email management, candidate sourcing, follow-ups, and even briefing ahead of meetings. These are not aspirational features, but already functional within the browser, as noted in a recent Business Insider report. Srinivas specifically pointed to the vulnerability of two job categories: 'A recruiter's work worth one week is just one prompt: sourcing and reach outs,' he explained. He added that Comet can track candidate replies, update spreadsheets, manage follow-ups, and prepare recruitment briefings, making it capable of managing the full recruitment lifecycle. Similarly, for executive assistants, Comet is designed to handle calendar management, conflict resolution, email triage, and meeting preparation—all through natural language prompts. Still in its invite-only phase, Comet is being positioned not just as a browser, but as a complete AI operating system for office work—an autonomous agent that follows commands, completes tasks, and operates silently in the background. The comments from Srinivas come as AI continues to reshape office dynamics at an unprecedented pace. Industry leaders are split on what this disruption means. Anthropic's Dario Amodei forecasts that up to 50% of entry-level office jobs could be replaced within five years. Ford CEO Jim Farley echoed similar concerns, warning that half of U.S. white-collar roles may be at risk due to automation. On the other hand, some tech leaders see AI as an enhancer, not a threat. Nvidia's Jensen Huang described AI as having evolved his role, not eliminated it. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff emphasized that AI should be viewed as a tool for augmenting human work, not replacing it. Even so, corporate giants like Amazon are already urging employees to embrace AI tools—or risk falling behind. CEO Andy Jassy recently cautioned his teams that failing to adapt could lead to job redundancies. Whether Comet becomes a game-changing co-worker or a tool for workforce reduction, it symbolizes the rapidly evolving intersection of AI and human labour. As companies and employees brace for this shift, one thing is becoming increasingly clear—the future of work is being redefined right now.
India Today
a day ago
- Business
- India Today
Perplexity CEO says his AI browser Comet is coming for these two office jobs, cut the doomscrolling now
A bold new claim by Perplexity AI's CEO has sent shockwaves through the tech and corporate worlds. Aravind Srinivas believes that a new tool developed by his company could soon replace two of the most vital white-collar roles in the modern workplace. The product in question? An AI-native browser named Comet, and he claimed that it's not your average in detail on The Verge's Decoder podcast, Comet has been designed to go far beyond simple web queries or conversational AI. Unlike traditional AI assistants, Srinivas says Comet is built to perform full-scale operational tasks, essentially acting like a silent digital worker running continuously in the background. Sound familiar? Srinivas's claim came just after OpenAI introduced its new AI agent that can autonomously perform tasks using a virtual computer, marking a major step toward more human-like, task-oriented artificial general what makes it stand out? Srinivas described how Comet is integrated with widely used platforms like Google Calendar, Gmail, and LinkedIn. Through these connections, it can source job candidates, fetch contact information, and send tailored outreach emails, functions typically managed by recruitment professionals. According to a Business Insider report, these capabilities are not theoretical. They're already built into the under threat Srinivas didn't mince words about which jobs he believes are at risk. Executive assistants and recruiters, he said, are the two roles Comet is designed to make redundant. Still in its invite-only phase, Comet is pitched as a tool capable of replacing the core daily functions of these executive assistants, Comet can manage calendars, prepare meeting materials, triage emails, and resolve scheduling conflicts, all through natural language prompts. 'A recruiter's work worth one week is just one prompt: sourcing and reach outs,' Srinivas went on to outline how the AI browser can track candidate replies, update progress in Google Sheets, handle follow-ups, and even provide a pre-meeting briefing, effectively covering the full recruitment envisions Comet becoming an AI 'operating system' for office work, capable of executing commands from prompts and running automated tasks behind the scenes. While it remains accessible only to premium users for now, the company is betting that users will happily pay for a browser that gets actual work done rather than simply offering taking over roles at work: True or falseSrinivas' comments add fuel to an ongoing debate in the tech industry: Will AI replace or simply reshape the workforce?Dario Amodei, CEO of AI firm Anthropic, has publicly predicted that up to 50 per cent of entry-level office jobs could vanish within five years. Echoing that sentiment, Ford's CEO Jim Farley suggested at the Aspen Ideas Festival that half of all white-collar jobs in the US are under threat from artificial everyone shares that bleak outlook. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said AI has transformed his own job but framed it as evolution, not extinction. Salesforce boss Marc Benioff has also stressed that AI is a tool for augmentation, not so, there's a consensus that AI is changing the workplace at breakneck speed. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy recently urged his staff to learn, experiment with, and adopt AI tools, warning that failure to adapt could lead to redundancy as automation takes AI tools like Comet continue to evolve, the lines between human and machine labour in office settings are growing increasingly blurred. Whether Comet becomes a digital co-worker or a job replacement engine, one thing is certain that the white-collar world is on the cusp of dramatic change.- Ends
The Verge
2 days ago
- Business
- The Verge
Why AI is moving from chatbots to the browser
Happy Friday. I'm back from vacation and still getting caught up on everything I missed. AI researchers moving jobs is getting covered like NBA trades now, apparently. Before I get into this week's issue, I want to make sure you check out my interview with Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas on Decoder this week. It's a good deep dive on the main topic of today's newsletter. Keep reading for a scoop on Substack and more from this week in AI news. So far, when most people think of the modern AI boom, they think of a chatbot like ChatGPT. Now, it's becoming increasingly clear that the web browser is where the next phase of AI is taking shape. The reason is simple: the chatbots of today don't have access to your online life like your browser does. That level of context — read and write access to your email, your bank account, etc. — is required if AI is going to become a tool that actually goes off and does things for you. Two recent product releases point to this trend. The first is OpenAI's ChatGPT Agent, which uses a basic browser to surf the web on your behalf. The second is Comet, a desktop browser from Perplexity that takes it a step further by allowing large language models to access logged-in sites and complete tasks on your behalf. (OpenAI is rumored to be planning its own full-fledged browser.) Neither ChatGPT Agent nor Comet works reliably at the moment, and access to both is currently gated to expensive subscription tiers due to the higher compute costs required to run the reasoning models they necessitate. Perhaps most frustratingly, both products claim to do things they can't, not just in marketing materials, but in the actual product experience. ChatGPT Agent is a read-only browser experience — it can't access a logged-in site like Comet — and that severely limits its usefulness. It's also very slow. My colleague Hayden Field asked it to find a particular kind of lamp on Etsy, and ChatGPT Agent took 50 minutes to come back with a response. It also failed to add items to her Etsy cart, despite claiming it had done so. While Comet is nowhere near as slow, I've had numerous experiences with it claiming it has completed tasks it hasn't, or stating it can do something, only to immediately tell me it can't after I make a request. Its sidecar interface, which places the AI assistant to the right of a webpage, is excellent for read-only tasks, such as summarizing a webpage or researching something specific I'm looking at. But as I told Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas on Decoder this week, the overall experience feels quite brittle. It's easy to be a cynic and think the current state of products like Comet is the best AI can do at completing tasks on the web. Or, you can look at the last few years of progress in the industry and make the bet that the same trend line will continue. During our chat this week, Srinivas told me he's 'betting on progress in reasoning models to get us there.' OpenAI built a custom reasoning model specifically for ChatGPT Agent that was trained on more complex, multi-step tasks. (The model has no public name and isn't available via an API.) Even with the many limitations and bugs that exist today, using Comet for just a few days has convinced me that the mainstream chatbot interface will merge with the browser. It already feels like taking a step back to merely prompt a chatbot versus interacting with a ChatGPT-like experience that can see whatever website I'm looking at. Standalone chatbots certainly aren't going away, especially on smartphones, but the browser is what will unlock AI that actually feels like an agent. Some noteworthy career moves More to click on: If you haven't already, don't forget to subscribe to The Verge, which includes unlimited access to Command Line and all of our reporting. As always, I welcome your feedback, especially if you have thoughts on this issue or a story idea to share. You can respond here or ping me securely on Signal. Thanks for subscribing.
