Latest news with #DmitryShevelenko
Sydney Morning Herald
16 hours ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
This company wants to dethrone Google, but does it have a shot?
As the nature of the internet evolves from something we explore with our thumbs and mouse clicks to something we talk to, and which talks back, a fierce fight for the future of search is under way. At the Google I/O conference last week the incumbent web giant announced 100 different AI innovations to demonstrate how ready it and its Gemini chatbot are for the future. But 60 kilometres down the road from the conference, a much smaller company is working to beat Google in the race to dominating the AI search market. Dmitry Shevelenko, chief business officer at the self-styled AI-powered answer engine Perplexity, said Google was too big to pivot away from traditional search, and it's too bogged down in advertising. 'They built the world's most lucrative business, but it's predicated on getting you to click on certain links. And that behaviour of link clicking, especially on commercial queries, it's just going to become less relevant in the future of the internet,' he said. 'So aligning with your users, as opposed to with advertisers, that business model challenge is where Google is really going to operate with two hands tied behind its back.' Perplexity's main product is an answer machine that navigates the web to find responses to your queries. The company was founded in 2022 by four academics who had computer science experience at OpenAI and Google, and it has received funding from investors, including Nvidia and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Australia is a priority market for Perplexity, which plans to grow its local user base by partnering with major Australian businesses. It has finalised a deal for the first of these partnerships, to be announced in the coming month. Shevelenko said the company had followed a similar strategy in Japan, Korea, Germany and other countries, where overall traffic had increased by as much as 10 times following the initial partnership. 'And if there are things we need to do to make the product work better in Australia, if there's certain parts of our web index that are under-covered, we'll be very nimble and quick to adapt and react there,' he said.
The Age
16 hours ago
- Business
- The Age
This company wants to dethrone Google, but does it have a shot?
As the nature of the internet evolves from something we explore with our thumbs and mouse clicks to something we talk to, and which talks back, a fierce fight for the future of search is under way. At the Google I/O conference last week the incumbent web giant announced 100 different AI innovations to demonstrate how ready it and its Gemini chatbot are for the future. But 60 kilometres down the road from the conference, a much smaller company is working to beat Google in the race to dominating the AI search market. Dmitry Shevelenko, chief business officer at the self-styled AI-powered answer engine Perplexity, said Google was too big to pivot away from traditional search, and it's too bogged down in advertising. 'They built the world's most lucrative business, but it's predicated on getting you to click on certain links. And that behaviour of link clicking, especially on commercial queries, it's just going to become less relevant in the future of the internet,' he said. 'So aligning with your users, as opposed to with advertisers, that business model challenge is where Google is really going to operate with two hands tied behind its back.' Perplexity's main product is an answer machine that navigates the web to find responses to your queries. The company was founded in 2022 by four academics who had computer science experience at OpenAI and Google, and it has received funding from investors, including Nvidia and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Australia is a priority market for Perplexity, which plans to grow its local user base by partnering with major Australian businesses. It has finalised a deal for the first of these partnerships, to be announced in the coming month. Shevelenko said the company had followed a similar strategy in Japan, Korea, Germany and other countries, where overall traffic had increased by as much as 10 times following the initial partnership. 'And if there are things we need to do to make the product work better in Australia, if there's certain parts of our web index that are under-covered, we'll be very nimble and quick to adapt and react there,' he said.
TechCrunch
3 days ago
- Business
- TechCrunch
Google fixes bug that led AI Overviews to say it's now 2024
AI tools are touted as capable helpers that can easily help you research, code, summarize, write and bring you knowledge of any kind. But sometimes simple questions befuddle them. Google's AI Overviews, for example, is confused what year it is. Several users reported over the past few days that when they asked Google what year it is, AI Overviews said the current year is 2024. How long until they manually take this one down? 😂😂 — Lily Ray 😏 (@lilyraynyc) May 29, 2025 wait did google announce a time machine at i/o? — Dmitry Shevelenko (@dmitry140) May 29, 2025 This reporter got the same answer on Thursday morning when Google was asked if it's 2025 right now. Image Credits: TechCrunch Google finally fixed the bug late on Thursday. When asked why this happened, Google didn't provide a particular reason, only saying that it was working on an update to avoid such issues. 'As with all Search features, we rigorously make improvements and use examples like this to update our systems. The vast majority of AI Overviews provide helpful, factual information, and we're actively working on an update to address this type of issue,' a Google spokesperson said in a statement. Google has been working on AI Overviews for a few years now, and the feature has so far made some notable blunders — to name just a couple, it has recommended users eat 'one small rock per day,' saying rocks are a good source of vitamins and minerals, and even suggested adding glue in order to help cheese stick to a pizza. When the company rolled out the feature in Hindi in India, TechCrunch found that its answers were often inconsistent and confusing. In recent weeks, Google CEO Sundar Pichai has touted usage numbers for AI Overviews, saying that the feature is now being used by 1.5 billion users in over 100 countries. He also added that in markets like the U.S. and India, the feature is driving over 10% usage of the search engine for related queries. The company is betting a lot on driving people to use its AI-powered search and Q&A features more.
Hindustan Times
09-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Why are AI companies this interested in Google Chrome?
Google Chrome may soon not be Google-owned Chrome. Apple has talked about plans for AI search options in Safari. Two snapshots suggest that in a few months, the web browser landscape may look very different from how we see it today. The repercussions, go much beyond the web browser itself. We are advancing towards something that may be classified as 'AI browsers'. Artificial intelligence (AI) companies knew long ago that transitioning search users from search engines to their AI apps was the long game. A browser may be important, to become a focal point. Little surprise then, Perplexity and OpenAI have shown interest. Things are more intertwined between AI and apps, than you may imagine. If Google is asked to let go of Chrome, a forced divestiture if it were to happen with arguably the most commonly used web browser across devices worldwide, it will reshape not just the browsing experience but also developing the foundations that also find a footing in many other web browsers — such as Microsoft Edge, which also relies on the open-source Chromium project. The US department of justice (DOJ) is pushing for significant remedies against Google following a landmark antitrust ruling in August 2024, and selling Chrome is one of them. OpenAI's ChatGPT product lead, Nick Turley, testified in April 2025 that the company would consider acquiring Chrome to integrate its AI-driven search and chatbot technologies, leveraging Chrome's 3.3 billion users. Perplexity AI's chief business officer Dmitry Shevelenko has also expressed interest, stating Perplexity could run Chrome at scale without compromising quality. Could there be a dark(er) horse in this race? Yahoo, perhaps. xAI, maybe? Anthropic, which already has the 'Computer Use' feature for Claude that allows AI to control desktops via text commands, by chance? Google will undoubtedly argue its case (and this still has some way to go before we have a decision), saying Chrome's integration with its ecosystem is essential for user experience and that its search dominance stems from superior technology, not just monopolistic practices. There is of course, Gemini which needs that footing. Search, their biggest revenue generator, is evolving. They've already talked about voice and visual search features as being the biggest contributors towards growing total search volume. A lot of that must emerge from conversational Gemini and the worldly context aware Gemini Live. At this time, interest in Chrome, can be heard in more than hushed tones. Chrome's dominance in the browser market means it captures a representative sample of global internet behaviour, making it a critical resource for training AI models that need to generalise across diverse populations. AI companies are interested in partnering with Google, as it offers a competitive edge in building more accurate and context-aware AI systems. Then there is of course the question of (one would hope) anonymised or aggregated data that AI companies can leverage, also to create virtual profiles of users, for contextual servings. There's another dimension. If Apple does succeed in adding that AI layer for search within their Safari web browser, it'll change the search game for Google — the big beneficiary would be the AI company that provides Apple with this arsenal. Too early to say whether they intend to go it alone (which would be very, very unlikely), or if they are in talks with any AI companies. OpenAI would likely figure prominently in any discussions, considering the ChatGPT layer in Apple Intelligence. What happens to Google's prime search positioning, for which it pays top dollar to Apple every year, remains anyone's guess. Unless we're talking about Gemini arriving within Safari. Casting a shadow is Comet, the name of Perplexity's AI web browser that is expected anytime in the next few weeks. The mission, is to provide a base for Agentic AI. But it will not be easy for any new browser to immediately make a mark. The share of the pie is very clearly earmarked within a crowded market dominated by Chrome (66.19% according to StatCounter), Safari (17.25%), Edge (5.20%) and Firefox (2.55%). It will be a long game to wrest some share from each of these buckets, to make place for another name. A browser too, as I've often noted with messaging apps, becomes a habit for users. One thing is clear, even as this space evolves quickly — the web browser landscape, irrespective of whether its on a desktop or a tablet or a smartphone, is evolving from a utility-driven positioning, to one where AI is likely to define user experiences. It will be contextually aware of what you are looking at or trying to search for, be able to link with other apps you use, have powerful AI as the foundation for conversational and generative AI applications and change the way we search for just about anything. Vishal Mathur is the technology editor for HT. Tech Tonic is a weekly column that looks at the impact of personal technology on the way we live, and vice-versa. The views expressed are personal.
The Hindu
09-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Perplexity AI and publisher Wiley partner up for educational AI search
AI company Perplexity and publisher Wiley have entered into a partnership to bring high quality, AI-powered search offerings to the education sector, the companies said in a press release. Wiley is Perplexity's first education partner and the deal will let subscribers in the academic space access Wiley's materials across a range of fields, with the help of an AI-powered search feature. The partnership will begin in a few U.S.-based universities before moving to the United Kingdom. 'This new collaboration will allow Perplexity users, including college students, educators and researchers at institutions that subscribe to Perplexity's Enterprise Pro to access purchased Wiley educational collections and resources in areas such as nursing, business, and engineering,' said the companies in a press note. Apart from sourcing responses from Wiley's educational materials and research, users can also access information from the live web through Perplexity itself. This means users can get both the latest results from the internet, as well as authoritative facts and verified information from Wiley in response to their queries. Educators and development experts have raised concerns that students who rely on AI for academic assistance often end up citing incorrect or non-existent information that was generated due to machine hallucination. Others worry that chatbot use is stripping students of the ability to think independently and push through obstacles to submit their best work. 'Perplexity and Wiley are embracing the way that Gen Z likes to learn, not only in their schooling but in their careers. Unlike other AI tools that create tension between students and educators, Perplexity is an AI solution that both school administrators and students can openly adopt and use together,' said Perplexity's chief business officer, Dmitry Shevelenko. 'This new partnership represents a significant step in our commitment to providing accurate, sourced information through AI. By integrating Wiley's trusted research and education resources with our AI search capabilities, we're enhancing the research experience for our users worldwide,' he added.
