Latest news with #PerplexityPro
News18
a day ago
- Business
- News18
Perplexity AI Wants To Become Your Default Web Browser On Smartphones, Will It Beat Chrome?
Last Updated: Perplexity is ready to go after Google's Chrome and wants to get a pie of the smartphone browser market with a new plan. Perplexity AI has made its mark thanks to the deal with Airtel thanks to the free AI Pro offer available for its prepaid and Wi-Fi users in India. Now, the company is looking to take on Google and Apple in a big way – by making you switch from Chrome or Safari to its Comet browser. Yes, according to Reuters, Perplexity AI is looking to partner with phone brands to bring the Comet browser to more users or even have it pre-loaded on smartphones like Google offers its products. More Battle For The Giants It looks like Perplexity is not fazed about its battle with giants like Google and Apple who have built their own ecosystem and user base by bundling their apps on devices and getting people hooked to these platforms. Comet is not a household name by any means, but the Airtel deal gives Perplexity more airtime and people will slowly start gaining interest in its web browser that goes beyond the regular stuff. The company has developed an AI-centric browser that can handle your tasks and even make you a multi-tasking champ with its ability to manage work with prompts. More importantly, reports claim that Apple executives have considered buying Perplexity AI to fuel their own ambitions and kickstart their stuttering AI journey. Comet is still limited to the higher-end Perplexity plan, and even then you have to be on the waitlist to join the new browser. Looking at the pace at which Perplexity is getting its deals done, we'll probably see Comet become available on phones and app stores in the next few months. The Perplexity AI free offer is applicable for all Airtel mobile, broadband and other services from the operator in the country. Perplexity Pro is a premium AI tier like ChatGPT Plus and Gemini AI Pro, offering a host of features and access to AI models like Claude and others. Airtel users can access Perplexity Pro AI subscription for one year without any extra charges and it comes bundled with their mobile or broadband plan. You just need to claim the offer available through its app and enjoy the AI service and all its features. view comments First Published: July 21, 2025, 08:52 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Airtel-Perplexity deal gives the AI giant an entry into India market
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills Indian telecom giant Bharti Airtel announced a partnership with artificial intelligence (AI) major Perplexity which provides all Airtel customers (mobile, broadband, and DTH) with a free 12-month subscription to Perplexity Pro, a search and answer engine subscription usually priced at about Rs 17,000 per year marks Perplexity's first partnership with an Indian telecom company, giving the former access to Airtel's 360 million users to spread its international footprint. Pro offers features like access to models like GPT 4.1 and Claude, deep research and analysis tools and image AI company, which has been seeking to take on Big Tech giants in AI and recently, Google through its AI-powered search engine, gets a new and diverse the app to such a wide userbase also boosts Perplexity's visibility and adoption. This was clear when the app went to the top of the downloads list on Apple's App Store after the deal, overtaking competitors like also helps Perplexity strengthen its footprint in India's rapidly growing AI user market, while jointly innovating AI service delivery with Airtel. Perplexity benefits from a distribution and monetisation model through Airtel's network, enhancing user stickiness and driving AI usage across multiple customer segments, from students and professionals to of the major telecom companies in India, Airtel is demonstrating a new approach in telecom offerings by throwing in a GenAI productivity tool. This goes beyond the traditional OTT content and entertainment deals offered by telcos, and moves toward practical, AI-powered utility services that add value to customers' daily digital also plans to gain insights into how customers interact with advanced AI tools, which will show the company how to embed intelligence deeper into its service layers, eventually enhancing and personalising its product ecosystem.
Mint
3 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Weekly Tech Recap: Perplexity Pro goes free for Airtel users, ChatGPT agent launched and more
With news coming in throughout the week, it can be difficult to sift out the important updates from the noise. To keep readers up to date, we've compiled the Weekly Tech Recap, where we take a look at the top news that shook up the world of technology. This week, OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT Agent, Perplexity announced free Pro subscriptions for Airtel users, OnePlus revealed sale details for the Pad 3, and more. Earlier in the week, Airtel announced that its prepaid and postpaid customers will be able to enjoy Perplexity Pro subscription for free for a year, a service that costs upwards of over ₹ 17,000/ year. Notably, Perplexity Pro subscription allows users access to the latest AI models from OpenAI, Google, Anthropic and xAI. Soon after announcing the offer, Perplexity gained popularity in India and the app was soon ranked number 1 in the top free app category on the Apple App Store, dethroning ChatGPT at the top. Click here to read the full report OnePlus has announced that its latest tablet, the OnePlus Pad 3 will go on sale in India in the month of September. The tablet was first teased during the OnePlus 13s launch earlier in the year but while it was unveiled in the global markets an India launch date remained elusive. OnePlus has confirmed the specs for the Pad 3 but the pricing and exact sale date remains elusive for now. Click here to read the full report OpenAI has introduced a new AI agent called the 'ChatGPT agent', which integrates more deeply with the company's chatbot of the same name. The ChatGPT agent is a general-purpose agentic system that can take actions on a user's behalf. With the new ChatGPT agent, the chatbot can handle tasks such as accessing the user's calendar, shopping on their behalf, creating spreadsheets, and browsing the web to gather information. It can also automate repetitive tasks, such as converting screenshots or dashboards into presentations, planning and booking offsites, updating spreadsheets with new data, and more. OpenAI says the ChatGPT agent brings the best of both worlds from the Operator and DeepResearch agentic AI's, allowing ChatGPT agent to transition naturally from a simple conversation to executing actions within the same chat. Click here to read the full report Privacy focused search engine DuckDuckGo has brought a new feature that allows users to block AI generated images in their search results. However, the feature isn't enabled by default. Users will need to manually go into the search menu to change the filters if they want to reduce the number of AI-generated images they see. On the DuckDuckGo website, a new 'AI Images' option now appears in the search menu. By default, it is set to 'Show', but users can manually click on the menu and set it to 'Hide' to significantly reduce AI-generated images in search results. DuckDuckGo admits the feature won't catch every AI-generated image, but it says their frequency should drop significantly. To power the feature, DuckDuckGo relies on open-source blocklists like the 'nuclear' list from uBlockOrigin and the uBlacklist Huge AI Blacklist. Click here to read the full report Netflix has confirmed that it used generative AI for the first time to create a scene in one of its original shows. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos described the technology as an 'incredible opportunity to help creators make films and series better, not just cheaper.' Sarandos said everyone involved with the project was 'thrilled' with the result generated by AI. Since generative AI gained prominence in late 2022, there has been significant anxiety across industries about its impact on jobs, with creative fields expected to be among the most affected. In 2023, a Hollywood actors and writers strike led to new guidelines around the use of AI in productions.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Perplexity: How 31-year-old Indian founder is trying to shake ChatGPT, Google's Gemini AI dominance
Cashing in on Mittals' Airtel subscribers base, Aravind Srinivas-led Perplexity AI achieved has achieved a big feat -- it has dethroned giants like ChatGPT by clinching the top spot among free apps on the Apple App Store. The abrupt surge follows a strategic alliance with telecom operator, which now provides its customers with free access to the Perplexity Pro subscription costing Rs 17,000 a year. Apart from free access, Perplexity is also giving its non-paying users early access to the company's exclusive Comet browser, which is currently invite-only. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category CXO Data Science Product Management Public Policy Data Science Finance Digital Marketing Project Management Design Thinking Healthcare MCA Others Data Analytics Management Leadership PGDM MBA healthcare Degree Skills you'll gain: Digital Strategy Development Expertise Emerging Technologies & Digital Trends Data-driven Decision Making Leadership in the Digital Age Digital Strategy Development Expertise Emerging Technologies & Digital Trends Data-driven Decision Making Leadership in the Digital Age Digital Strategy Development Expertise Emerging Technologies & Digital Trends Data-driven Decision Making Leadership in the Digital Age Duration: 40 Weeks Indian School of Business ISB Chief Digital Officer Starts on Jun 30, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Digital Strategy Development Expertise Emerging Technologies & Digital Trends Data-driven Decision Making Leadership in the Digital Age Digital Strategy Development Expertise Emerging Technologies & Digital Trends Data-driven Decision Making Leadership in the Digital Age Duration: 40 Weeks Indian School of Business ISB Chief Digital Officer Starts on Jun 30, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Digital Strategy Development Expertise Emerging Technologies & Digital Trends Data-driven Decision Making Leadership in the Digital Age Duration: 40 Weeks Indian School of Business ISB Chief Digital Officer Starts on Jun 30, 2024 Get Details Why is the Perplexity-Airtel deal a hit? by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Patna: 1 Trick to Reduce Belly Fat? Home Fitness Hack Shop Now Undo Unlike Google's Gemini Pro offer, which is targeted at students, Airtel's collaboration with Perplexity covers a wider demographic — from school and college students to researchers and working professionals. Perplexity Pro offers real-time, structured answers by tapping into models like GPT-4.1 and Claude, effectively replacing traditional search results with contextual, citation-based insights. Users can upload documents, ask follow-up questions, and summarise complex data within a single interface. For students managing research deadlines or preparing for exams, Perplexity Pro acts like a digital assistant, simplifying dense academic material and generating organised responses from trusted sources. Professionals in fields such as consulting, design, and law can use the tool to extract insights from reports, draft content, or generate visuals. The Pro version also includes tools like Perplexity Labs for image generation and coding support, making it useful across a range of tasks. Live Events Similar to Perplexity, ChatGPT observed a surge due to the Ghibli art trend, which went viral in India. At that time, OpenAI said the platform gained one million users in an hour — a moment CEO Sam Altman called one of the 'craziest viral moments' he had seen. By comparison, the chatbot took five days to hit one million users in 2022. While Perplexity has topped the iOS charts, ChatGPT is still the most popular app on the Google Play Store, where Perplexity hasn't yet made an appearance. Dominance of ChatGPT, others Within three years, the AI startup is valued at $18 billion after it raised fresh capital by bringing in $100 million with the financing, said a Bloomberg report. The deal is an extension of a previous round from a few months ago that valued the company at $14 billion. Due to its rising popularity and the talent it possesses, the platform saw keen interest from Apple and Meta Platforms for a possible takeover. Zuckerberg's tech giant had moved ahead with a multibillion-dollar investment in Scale AI before it had plans for Perplexity. Apple, which has failed to have big wins in the AI space and lost more than $640 billion in market value, is also warming up to such a move. Bloomberg News reported last month that executives have held internal talks about making an offer for Perplexity, which would add talent and help Apple develop an AI-based search engine. As of now, model builders like OpenAI and Anthropic remain the biggest companies on the list, having raised large sums of cash from marquee Silicon Valley venture capitalists. The two AI behemoths have accumulated a combined $81 billion in venture funding, more than half of the total $142.45 billion that companies on this year's AI 50 list have raised, according to Forbes. Amid facing tight competition from big giants, Srinivas, who previously worked with Google and OpenAI before co-founding the platform with Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, and Andy Konwinski, remains confident of his product. 'Competition is real. Let's acknowledge that OpenAI is extremely well-funded and doesn't face the same innovative constraints under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). ChatGPT is their most successful consumer product, which makes it tough to compete directly. That's why I prefer to focus more on the browser space. I believe Comet, the browser, can become an abstraction layer above chatbots,' he said.
India Today
4 days ago
- Business
- India Today
Google AI Pro and Perplexity Pro are now free in India, but there's a catch: Who gets what? Benefits explained
Google and Airtel are now offering free one-year subscriptions to the premium versions of Google AI Pro and Perplexity Pro. Through this offer, eligible users can access tools like Gemini, Veo 3, and 2TB of cloud storage via Google, and get access to advanced search with GPT-4.1, Claude, file uploads, and image generation via Airtel. However, both offers come with specific eligibility requirements and take a detailed look at what Google and Airtel are offering and how you can access Google AI Pro and Perplexity Pro for Free AI Pro offerGoogle is offering its AI Pro subscription, priced at Rs 19,500 annually, free for a year to eligible college students in India. The offer is available to students aged 18 and above who are enrolled in accredited institutions. To activate the plan, students must verify their academic status via the Google One student offer page and confirm their identity by submitting personal and academic Google AI Pro offers The AI Pro subscription includes access to Gemini 2.5 Pro, Google's flagship AI model, and Veo 3, a video generation tool. The subscription also provides integrated AI support within Google apps like Gmail, Docs, and Sheets, as well as 2TB of cloud of the highlighted features of Google AI Pro include:Study Assistance: Summarising long textbooks (up to 1,500 pages), exam prep tools, and explanations for complex Support: Tools to generate drafts, improve essays, and brainstorm Generation: Create short videos from text and images using Veo A research tool offering summarised content from documents and audio Integration: AI-driven features across Google Workspace Storage: 2TB available across Drive, Gmail, and Google offering free access to Perplexity ProAirtel is also offering Perplexity Pro free for a year to all its subscribers across mobile, broadband, and DTH services. Normally priced at Rs 17,000 annually, the subscription to this premium AI-powered search and answer platform can be activated through the Airtel Thanks app under the 'Rewards' Pro offers users access to real-time, research-backed answers drawn from the internet. Users can also ask follow-up questions and explore topics. Some of the highlighted features include:Unlimited AI Searches: Users can perform up to 300 AI-powered queries Switching: Choose between AI models like GPT-4.1, Claude, and Uploads: Upload documents and receive AI-generated summaries and Generation: Convert text prompts into visuals using models such as to Perplexity Labs: Build tools like spreadsheets, dashboards, and basic apps through AI-powered what's the catch?Well, both offers are not available to AI Pro: The free subscription to the Google AI Pro plan is limited to Indian residents using personal Google accounts. To be eligible, users must not already be on an existing or higher-tier Google One plan and need to have a valid payment method on file to cover future billing if the subscription isn't cancelled before the trial ends. The deadline to redeem this offer is 15 September Pro: Meanwhile, Airtel's offer for Perplexity Pro is only available to Airtel users and must be claimed via the Airtel Thanks app. No payment information is required to activate this subscription.- Ends
