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Indian Express
2 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Perplexity CEO says his AI browser will replace these two white collar jobs in every company
Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Nvidia-backed startup Perplexity, has unveiled ambitions for the company's latest product, an AI-powered browser named Comet. Speaking on a recent episode of The Verge's 'Decoder' podcast, Srinivas claimed the tool is designed to automate substantial portions of work traditionally handled by recruiters and executive assistants, and can quickly replace them. Describing Comet as more than just a browser, Srinivas explained it's built to act as an intelligent assistant capable of handling complex workplace tasks autonomously. 'A recruiter's work worth one week is just one prompt: sourcing and reach outs,' he said in the podcast. Explaining the features of the browser, Srinivas shared that Comet's AI agent integrates directly with tools like Gmail, LinkedIn, and Google Calendar, allowing it to perform end-to-end recruiting tasks. It can create candidate shortlists, scrape contact information, and send out customised outreach emails. Further, he highlighted how Comet could take over many routine duties of an executive assistant, from email management to scheduling. Speaking to Business Insider, he explained, 'You want it to keep following up, keep a track of their responses.' He added that the AI is capable of updating spreadsheets, tracking communication status, handling follow-ups, resolving calendar conflicts, scheduling meetings, and even preparing briefings ahead of time. 'It can 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,' he said. Srinivas envisions Comet evolving into a full-fledged 'AI operating system' for knowledge workers, capable of running in the background and autonomously executing a wide range of professional tasks. Srinivas revealed that Comet is still available to premium users and is invite-only. He believes that users will pay for AI that can perform quality work. '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?' he said.
Android Authority
3 days ago
- Android Authority
These are the 6 Android widgets I simply can't live without
Megan Ellis / Android Authority From calendars to reminder apps, everyone has their own list of the best Android widgets. For me, widgets help me get overviews of various things without needing to open up the app that they're linked to. I recently switched to a new smartphone, and while there are certain things I do whenever I set up a new phone, I also realized that I needed to refresh some of my widget setups. As a result, these ones have become indispensable to my daily routine. 1. TickTick Megan Ellis / Android Authority TickTick is the best to-do list app in my opinion, and its widgets also help to keep me organized. On an average day, my executive functioning is impaired — meaning I often forget tasks and need frequent reminders to get things done. But lately, I've also been particularly forgetful due to stress. TickTick's widgets have become another way I keep on top of tasks without overwhelming myself with notifications. I use two widgets from TickTick: one to quickly create new tasks, and one that gives me an overview of all overdue and upcoming tasks. In addition to the regular reminders that TickTick sends me for tasks, the widgets help me quickly get an overview of what I need to do without needing to remember to open up the app. 2. Google Calendar Megan Ellis / Android Authority While I've started using TickTick's widget to tackle my increasing forgetfulness, Google Calendar's widget has been a mainstay on my devices for years. It's not the most attractive widget, but it gets the job done. With the month widget on my secondary home screen, I can get a good look at all my upcoming events and meetings. Calendar helps me when I have events I need to prepare for, such as trips to local phone launches. This also helps me when I have events I need to prepare for, such as trips to local phone launches. In these cases, a reminder a day before wouldn't really help me prepare. But seeing the entire month on a small widget lets me ensure that I get the right groceries, shift any recurring appointments, and see which days I will need to put more hours into my work to get it done. I have been playing around with the Month: Calendar Widget app to see if I can find a more visually appealing look while still pulling the appointments and events that are saved to my Google Calendar. But so far, I continue to rely on Google Calendar thanks to dark mode. 3. Vocabulary Megan Ellis / Android Authority Vocabulary is one of the apps I use to learn something new every day. With notifications enabled, it sends me words that it thinks I'll be interested in learning. But on days where I receive too many notifications across different apps, I often dismiss all my notifications at once. The Vocabulary widget lets me learn new words even when I'm overwhelmed by notifications. The widget lets me reap the benefits of the app even if I don't open it up. It refreshes once or twice an hour (though the frequency can be set to more regularly), so usually whenever I check my phone I am greeted by a new word. 4. Clock/Weather Megan Ellis / Android Authority There are plenty of clock and weather apps to choose from, but the default Weather app on my HONOR smartphone lets me combine the time, date, and weather forecast into a single widget on my home screen. This is especially useful when I'm waking up in the morning and want to get an idea of what the weather is like outside. I do wish that there was a way to quickly see the forecast for the next few days, but I use a Google automation to send me the next few days' weather outlook during the evening. I have also set up an IFTTT notification to warn me if the weather is going to be above a certain temperature. If you're looking for an app with similar functionality to HONOR's clock and weather widget, you can try an app like Digital Clock & Weather Widget. 5. Brave Search Megan Ellis / Android Authority I switched from Chrome to Brave a few months ago, and I am glad I made the change. I love Brave's features and find its search engine to be better than Google's ad-ridden rival. When exploring widgets on my new phone, I realized that I can replace the usual Google Search widget with one that uses Brave Search instead. The widget gives me quick access to a search query in Brave and the ability to voice search. I also prefer using the Brave widget over my usual Brave app shortcut so that I don't get distracted by my most recent tab — which can sometimes send me down a rabbit hole if it's a topic I'm interested in. 6. Xiaomi Home Megan Ellis / Android Authority I was initially excited for Google Home to roll out more useful widgets, but the app is incredibly buggy for me in general. It often shows my devices as offline even when they're not, so the widgets are of no use to me. Rather, I use Xiaomi Home's widgets for quick access to my most important smart home devices. Google Home is very buggy for me, so I use Xiaomi Home's widgets instead. I've set up two Xiaomi Home widgets on my smartphone: one for my smart camera, and another for my smart fan. These are the smart devices I access the most, so the shortcuts are incredibly useful. On a recent trip, I used the camera widget to quickly access my home's video feed to check that everything was fine back home. Easier access to my camera also means that I use the camera more frequently, often to check up on one of my cats when he hasn't come to bed. Since it's winter now, I don't use my smart fan shortcut as much. But it's essential in summer to quickly turn my fan on and off at night. It also proved useful during autumn, when the weather was inconsistent and I would only realize after I went to sleep if I needed to turn the fan on or off to keep a comfortable temperature. While everyone will have their own widget preferences depending on the services they use, these widgets have become essential to the way I use my phone. They save me time and prevent me from getting easily distracted by directly accessing the features I need.
Time of India
3 days 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.' Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category Project Management Leadership Product Management Data Analytics Technology CXO Cybersecurity Operations Management Design Thinking MBA Digital Marketing Data Science Artificial Intelligence PGDM Management Finance healthcare Degree Public Policy MCA Others Data Science others Healthcare Skills you'll gain: Project Planning & Governance Agile Software Development Practices Project Management Tools & Software Techniques Scrum Framework Duration: 12 Weeks Indian School of Business Certificate Programme in IT Project Management Starts on Jun 20, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Portfolio Management Project Planning & Risk Analysis Strategic Project/Portfolio Selection Adaptive & Agile Project Management Duration: 6 Months IIT Delhi Certificate Programme in Project Management Starts on May 30, 2024 Get Details That's a sharp shift from what most people expect out of a browser. 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.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Nothing's Essential Space update comes with Google Calendar sync, AI content editing and more
Nothing has rolled out an update to the Essential Space AI-powered productivity hub for its smartphones. The update introduces Google Calendar integration, manual editing for AI-generated content, and an enhanced Essential Recorder with Flip-to-Record functionality . Announced via the Essential account on the social media platform X (earlier Twitter) and detailed on the London-based startup's community forum, this update aims to make Essential Space a more responsive and intelligent tool for managing daily tasks. Essential Space is Nothing's built-in AI assistant in Nothing OS , which was launched with the Phone 3a series. It can be accessed via the Essential Key to capture and process content like voice notes and screenshots to offer summaries, task scheduling and mother productivity suggestions. Nothing Phone (3) Essential Space update: How to get the update The Essential Space updates will download automatically via the Google Play Store if auto-update is enabled and the device is connected to Wi-Fi. If not, users can update it manually through the Play Store. However, it's important to note that the Flip-to-Record feature is currently exclusive to the Phone (3) by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Could Be the Best Time to Trade Gold in 5 Years IC Markets Learn More Undo Nothing Phone (3) Essential Space update: What's new and other details The latest update introduces a key enhancement: Essential Space can now sync with Google Calendar. This integration enables AI-generated tasks and events to appear automatically in selected Google accounts, improving personalisation and simplifying scheduling by letting users manage their calendars directly from Essential Space. Nothing Phone (3) users can now manually edit AI-generated content within Essential Space. If a task or event is created with incorrect details, users can modify it—whether that means changing a meeting time or updating a task description—offering better control and flexibility. The Essential Recorder has also been improved. It now allows users to record meetings or conversations, with the AI generating editable summaries and transcripts. These can be exported in multiple formats, including image, PDF, or Markdown. Moreover, a new 'Flip-to-Record' feature has been added. Placing the device face down automatically starts audio recording, offering a more discreet and user-friendly way to capture important moments. Free phone or empty Bank Account: New scam alert AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Android Authority
4 days ago
- Android Authority
I ditched Google Calendar for paper, and it gave me the mental clarity I needed
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority I started using a paper calendar as sort of a joke. It was part of my experiment to live as if I were back in 1993. I ditched all modern tech and bought a weekly planner from the dollar store. My busy adult life still needed some kind of planning system. I didn't expect to stick with it after my experiment was up, but you know what? I did. The experiment ended but the paper calendar stuck around. It found a home on my desk, where I've been using it every day since then. It's strange because Google Calendar had been my go-to tool for years. It organized everything in my life, from my kids' dentist appointments to my bike rides. But weirdly, I feel more in control of my schedule with pen and paper than I did with Google's digital tools. Do you feel stressed by your digital life? 0 votes Yes, my digital life is a disorganized mess. NaN % Sometimes, and I'm thinking of changing. NaN % Sometimes, but I can deal. NaN % No, my digital life is perfect for me. NaN % I made the switch to slow down Nathan Drescher / Android Authority Maybe you've felt the same way I was feeling: the constant dinging, the notification dots, that feeling that no matter what you do, you're a disorganized mess who can't get all your ducks in a row. So, you add more to your calendar, more to your to-do list, more to your note-taking apps. I've been there too. I was worn down by digital fatigue and wanted something that would slow my life down without losing control of the things that matter. The paper planner I bought for that experiment turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. It slowed me down and made me think about each item I added to my day. I gained some mental space by switching It took some self-discipline to get started, but the habit of sitting with my calendar each morning formed surprisingly quickly. Here's what I do at the beginning of every day: Open my planner and see if there are any items left over from yesterday. Add those to today's tasks and put three exclamation marks next to them (!!!). Check if I have any appointments already entered for the day. Check Slack and Asana and add any tasks due for the day. Check my shared family calendar and add anything my wife has put in for the day. The whole thing takes about five minutes, and it gives me a sense of clarity that digital tools never did. Nathan Drescher / Android Authority I add appointments to their specific day when I make them. I add due dates for bills a month in advance, so when I get to that specific day, it's there. Funny enough, by writing them into a calendar, I haven't forgotten about them. In fact, this has kept me more on my budget than ever before, and I find I no longer forget appointments or important events. This has kept me more on my budget than ever before. As I complete tasks, I cross them off my list and feel a sense of accomplishment. Then I sit down with my calendar at the end of the day for a minute or two and review what I've done for the day and what's coming up tomorrow. That small moment of reflection each day has helped me stay focused and intentional. Not everything works as well in a paper calendar Joe Maring / Android Authority There's a lot more friction when working with a paper planner. I can't just whip something into my calendar while I'm out and about, so it means I often have to make a note of something in Obsidian and then remember to transfer it to my calendar when I get home. That's a lot of hoops to jump through, and I've definitely missed a few things this way. There are no push notifications or emails, so I have to check the calendar throughout the day. And the convenience of adding emails, addresses, and notes to an event in Google Calendar cannot be understated. I do a lot of meetings and interviews as a journalist, and Google Calendar allows me to track everything I need when I'm meeting with a subject. Not so my dollar store weekly planner. I'm going to stick with paper for the time being Nathan Drescher / Android Authority Still, I haven't gone back. The pros outweigh the cons, and the paper planner has brought some much-needed peace to my life. It has slowed my life down in a way I didn't know I needed. It forces me to be more mindful of my schedule and more present in my own life. I still use Google Calendar for family events and meetings, because there are some things a paper calendar could never replace. But for everything else, I spend the time to jot it down with a pen, review it every day, think about what it means, and actually do it. No scrolling, no notifications, and no cloud sync. It just sits there, waiting for me, and I didn't know how badly I needed that until I tried it.
