Latest news with #Comet
Business Insider
12 hours ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Perplexity CEO says tech giants 'copy anything that's good' as the AI web-browser war heats up
Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas has some advice for young entrepreneurs: expect your idea to be copied. Srinivas said that bigger companies will "copy anything that's good" while speaking at Y Combinator's AI Startup School. At launch, Perplexity allowed its chatbot to crawl the web. Now, competitive products from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google have similar web-browsing functionality. Speaking to an audience of undergraduate, graduate, and Ph.D students, the Perplexity CEO began his advice by telling them to "work incredibly hard." Don't be surprised, he added, if larger players later play copycat. "If your company is something that can make revenue on the scale of hundreds of millions of dollars or potentially billions of dollars, you should always assume that a model company will copy it," Srinivas said. Srinivas listed the reasons bigger companies may copy burgeoning founders: "They raise like tens of billions or close to 50 billion and they need to justify all that CapEx spend, and they need to keep searching for new ways to make money," he said. "They will copy anything that's good. I think you got to live with that fear," Srinivas said. Perplexity was founded as an "answer engine" that looked to provide precise, consolidated answers based on web searches. At the time of Perplexity's debut, many other chatbots were restricted to responding based only on their training data, which typically has a knowledge cutoff of months in the past. Perplexity released its answer engine in December 2022. Google's Bard — which it has since rebranded as Gemini — launched internet-crawling abilities at launch three months later. In May 2023, ChatGPT followed suit. Anthropic's Claude can search the web in real time as of March 2025. Perplexity's head of communications, Jesse Dwyer, wrote in a follow-up statement to Business Insider that bigger companies will not only copy, but also "do everything they can to drown your voice." Perplexity launched its Comet browser on July 9, and OpenAI has yet to formally announce a browser. Later that day, Reuters reported that OpenAI was working on a web browser that would challenge Google Chrome. "Browser wars should be won by users, and if users lose Browser War III, it will be from a familiar playbook: monopolistic behavior by an 'everything company' forcing its product on the market," Dwyer wrote. "In this sense, whatever OpenAI builds as a browser will be no different than Google's."
Geeky Gadgets
18 hours ago
- Geeky Gadgets
AI Browsers : The Future of Productivity or Privacy Nightmare?
What if your browser history wasn't just a record of your online activity, but a treasure trove of insights waiting to be unlocked? Imagine an AI tool that could analyze every page you've visited, every search you've made, and every article you've skimmed to deliver personalized recommendations, summarize complex topics, or even predict your next move online. It sounds like a productivity dream, but it also raises a pressing question: how much of your digital life are you willing to share for the sake of convenience? As AI tools like OpenDia and Perplexity's Comet become more integrated into our browsing experiences, they blur the line between innovation and intrusion, forcing us to rethink the balance between utility and privacy. This overview Creator Magic explores the growing role of AI-powered browser tools and their potential to transform how we interact with the web. You'll discover how these technologies can streamline your online activities, from summarizing articles to automating creative tasks, while also grappling with the ethical and security challenges they introduce. Whether you're curious about enhancing your productivity or concerned about the implications of granting AI access to sensitive data, this discussion will shed light on the opportunities and trade-offs of this rapidly evolving landscape. As we navigate this new frontier, one question lingers: can we truly embrace the future of AI without compromising our digital autonomy? AI Tools Transforming Browsing OpenDia: Redefining Productivity in Browsing OpenDia is an open source Chrome extension designed to optimize your browsing experience through AI. It can summarize lengthy articles, analyze Reddit threads, and even review your browser history to provide actionable insights. By automating these tasks, OpenDia enhances productivity and helps you process large volumes of information more efficiently. However, this convenience comes with significant trade-offs. OpenDia requires access to sensitive data, such as your browsing history, cookies, and saved passwords. While these permissions enable its functionality, they also raise valid concerns about data security and privacy. To use tools like OpenDia responsibly, it is crucial to understand what data they access and ensure they have robust privacy safeguards in place. Being proactive about reviewing permissions and understanding the tool's privacy policy can help you strike a balance between utility and security. Perplexity's Comet: Streamlining Web Navigation Perplexity's Comet is another AI-powered tool designed to simplify your online activities. Using natural language processing (NLP), Comet allows you to interact with the web conversationally. You can summarize web pages, organize research, and collaborate on projects—all through intuitive, AI-driven commands that reduce the need for manual effort. Despite its advanced features, Comet has limitations. Accessing its full capabilities requires a subscription to the Perplexity Max plan, priced at $200 per month. While this cost may not be feasible for everyone, it reflects the growing trend of premium AI tools aimed at enhancing productivity. For those who can invest, Comet offers a glimpse into the future of seamless and intelligent web navigation. However, for users on a budget, exploring alternative tools or free versions may still provide valuable functionality without the financial commitment. AI Reads your Browser History Watch this video on YouTube. Here are additional guides from our expansive article library that you may find useful on AI-powered browser tools. Grok 4: Automating Creativity and Resource Management Grok 4 represents a new frontier in AI tools, focusing on automating resource-intensive tasks to enhance creativity. For instance, it can autonomously source graphics and sound assets to create a space-themed game, eliminating the need for manual input. This capability demonstrates how AI can handle time-consuming processes, freeing you to focus on more strategic and creative aspects of your projects. Additionally, Grok 4 integrates seamlessly with Python, a widely used programming language in AI development. By learning Python, you can unlock the full potential of tools like Grok 4, allowing you to create, test, and refine projects with greater efficiency. This integration highlights the importance of acquiring foundational technical skills to fully use the capabilities of advanced AI tools. Python: A Key to Unlocking AI Innovation Python has become a cornerstone of AI development, offering a user-friendly platform for both beginners and experienced developers. Many AI tools, such as Cursor, rely on Python to provide features like auto-completions and agent-based assistance, streamlining the coding process and reducing development time. By learning Python, you gain the ability to not only use AI tools but also contribute to their development. This skill enables you to innovate in a rapidly evolving field, making sure you remain competitive as AI continues to transform industries. Whether you are a developer or a casual user, understanding Python opens doors to deeper engagement with AI technologies and their applications. Addressing Privacy and Ethical Concerns While AI-powered tools offer significant advantages, they also pose privacy risks. Tools like OpenDia and Comet require access to sensitive browser data, including your browsing history and saved credentials. This raises important ethical questions about data security and user consent. To safeguard your privacy, it is essential to stay informed about the data practices of the tools you use. Consider the following steps to protect your personal information: Review the privacy policies of AI tools to understand how your data is collected and used. Limit the permissions you grant to browser extensions, allowing access only to what is necessary. Regularly update your browser's security settings to ensure optimal protection. By taking these precautions, you can enjoy the benefits of AI tools while minimizing potential risks to your privacy. Engaging with AI Communities for Growth The rise of AI tools has fostered vibrant online communities where users and developers can share insights, discuss advancements, and collaborate on projects. These forums connect you with like-minded individuals, providing a platform to exchange ideas and stay updated on the latest developments in AI. Participating in these communities not only enhances your understanding of AI but also allows you to contribute to its ethical and innovative growth. Collaboration is essential for addressing challenges and unlocking the full potential of emerging technologies. By engaging with these networks, you can stay informed, learn from others, and play an active role in shaping the future of AI. Maximizing the Potential of AI Tools AI-powered browser tools like OpenDia, Perplexity's Comet, and Grok 4 are transforming how you interact with the web. They offer powerful features that boost productivity, simplify tasks, and inspire creativity. However, these advancements come with significant privacy and ethical considerations. By staying informed, learning foundational skills like Python, and engaging with AI-focused communities, you can maximize the benefits of these tools while navigating their challenges responsibly. As AI continues to evolve, its integration into web browsing promises to unlock new possibilities—provided you approach it with care and awareness. Media Credit: Creator Magic Filed Under: AI, Top News Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
Arabian Post
2 days ago
- Business
- Arabian Post
Comet Emerges as Perplexity's AI-Powered Web Assistant
Perplexity this week introduced Comet, an AI-driven web browser designed to merge search, task automation and seamless browsing into a single interface. Initially accessible to subscribers of its $200‑a‑month Max tier, Comet promises to challenge Chrome and Edge by turning browsing into conversation-led workflows. Built on Chromium, Comet offers familiar browsing mechanics—tabs, navigation bar and extension support—yet stands apart through its sidebar-based 'Comet Assistant,' powered by Perplexity's search engine. The assistant retains full context from web pages, enabling operations like summarising content, scheduling meetings, sending emails or completing online purchases based on what appears onscreen. Aravind Srinivas, Perplexity's co‑founder and chief executive, described the browser's purpose as 'amplifying our intelligence' by collapsing multiple tabs and interactions into fluid conversational routines. Early demonstrations showcase the assistant summarising Reddit AMAs, shopping for identical products with better delivery, and even controlling calendar reminders and transit notifications after receiving extended permissions. ADVERTISEMENT Perplexity is positioning Comet to rival AI‑enhanced browsers including Microsoft's Edge and Google's AI‑mode Chrome, and others like Opera's AI‑integrated versions or The Browser Company's Dia. Comet's initial advantage lies in being a standalone browser where Perplexity's assistant is not optional add‑on but integral. Access is restricted to Max subscribers and invite‑only users, with broader rollout scheduled over the summer to Linux, iOS and Android platforms. Perplexity assures users that Comet will ultimately include a free tier outside the paid launch window. The long‑term implication is that Perplexity aims for browser integration to deepen user loyalty and entrench its AI across daily activities. Srinivas has highlighted that becoming the user's default browser creates 'infinite retention,' which could channel user queries from Comet back into Perplexity's broader search system—already growing over 20 percent month‑on‑month with around 780 million queries processed in May. That strategy echoes browser giants' attempts to control default search settings, with Comet flipping the script by installing its own search engine by default atop Chromium's open‑source base. Critics note the potential tension between privacy and convenience, as empowering the assistant with access to emails, calendars and browsing history may raise user concerns even as it speeds up tasks. Analysts describe Comet's launch as part of a broader AI browser arms‑race. OpenAI is reportedly working on its own AI‑centric browser, while Microsoft and Google continue to layer AI into their own offerings. The success of this trend will rely on whether users value decisive productivity gains enough to switch from deeply‑entrenched incumbents like Chrome and Safari, which together hold over 90 percent market share. Early adopters who have tested Comet say that the assistant works well on routine tasks but may struggle with more complex instructions. Those testers also describe a trade‑off between utility and privacy: one account noted that granting full access felt 'a little uneasy,' even as it allowed the assistant to offer timely transit advice based on upcoming meetings. How far Comet will go in reshaping web navigation depends on whether better task automation can outweigh users' inertia and privacy concerns. Perplexity plans to build more functionality—including tighter integrations with enterprise tools like Slack and support for voice‑based commands—while keeping Comet free-tier accessible beyond its early‑access phase.
3 days ago
- General
What the ‘black box' can tell us about plane crashes
NEW DELHI -- A preliminary finding into last month's Air India plane crash has suggested the aircraft's fuel control switches were turned off, starving the engines of fuel and causing a loss of engine thrust shortly after takeoff. The report, issued by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau on Saturday, also found that one pilot was heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel in the flight's final moment. The other pilot replied he did not do so. The Air India flight — a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner — crashed on June 12 and killed at least 260 people, including 19 on the ground, in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad. Only one passenger survived the crash, which is one of India's worst aviation disasters. The report based its finding on the data recovered from the plane's black boxes — combined cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders. Here is an explanation of what black boxes are and what they can do: The cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder are tools that help investigators reconstruct the events that lead up to a plane crash. They're orange in color to make them easier to find in wreckage, sometimes at great ocean depths. They're usually installed a plane's tail section, which is considered the most survivable part of the aircraft, according to the National Transportation Safety Board's website. The cockpit voice recorder collects radio transmissions and sounds such as the pilot's voices and engine noises, according to the NTSB's website. Depending on what happened, investigators may pay close attention to the engine noise, stall warnings and other clicks and pops, the NTSB said. And from those sounds, investigators can often determine engine speed and the failure of some systems. Investigators can also listen to conversations between the pilots and crew and communications with air traffic control. Experts make a meticulous transcript of the voice recording, which can take up to a week. The flight data recorder monitors a plane's altitude, airspeed and heading, according to the NTSB. Those factors are among at least 88 parameters that newly built planes must monitor. Some can collect the status of more than 1,000 other characteristics, from a wing's flap position to the smoke alarms. The NTSB said it can generate a computer animated video reconstruction of the flight from the information collected. At least two people have been credited with creating devices that record what happens on an airplane. One is French aviation engineer François Hussenot. In the 1930s, he found a way to record a plane's speed, altitude and other parameters onto photographic film, according to the website for European plane-maker Airbus. In the 1950s, Australian scientist David Warren came up with the idea for the cockpit voice recorder, according to his 2010 AP obituary. Warren had been investigating the crash of the world's first commercial jet airliner, the Comet, in 1953, and thought it would be helpful for airline accident investigators to have a recording of voices in the cockpit, the Australian Department of Defence said in a statement after his death. Warren designed and constructed a prototype in 1956. But it took several years before officials understood just how valuable the device could be and began installing them in commercial airlines worldwide. Some have suggested that it stems from Hussenot's device because it used film and 'ran continuously in a light-tight box, hence the name 'black box,'' according to Airbus, which noted that orange was the box's chosen color from the beginning to make it easy to find. Other theories include the boxes turning black when they get charred in a crash, the Smithsonian Magazine wrote in 2019. The media continues to use the term, the magazine wrote, 'because of the sense of mystery it conveys in the aftermath of an air disaster.'
Arab Times
3 days ago
- General
- Arab Times
What the ‘black box' can tell us about plane crashes
NEW DELHI, July 12, (AP): A preliminary finding into last month's Air India plane crash has suggested the aircraft's fuel control switches were turned off, starving the engines of fuel and causing a loss of engine thrust shortly after takeoff. The report, issued by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau on Saturday, also found that one pilot was heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel in the flight's final moment. The other pilot replied he did not do so. The Air India flight - a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner - crashed on June 12 and killed at least 260 people, including 19 on the ground, in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad. Only one passenger survived the crash, which is one of India's worst aviation disasters. The report based its finding on the data recovered from the plane's black boxes - combined cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders. Here is an explanation of what black boxes are and what they can do: The cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder are tools that help investigators reconstruct the events that lead up to a plane crash. They're orange in color to make them easier to find in wreckage, sometimes at great ocean depths. They're usually installed a plane's tail section, which is considered the most survivable part of the aircraft, according to the National Transportation Safety Board's website. The cockpit voice recorder collects radio transmissions and sounds such as the pilot's voices and engine noises, according to the NTSB's website. Depending on what happened, investigators may pay close attention to the engine noise, stall warnings and other clicks and pops, the NTSB said. And from those sounds, investigators can often determine engine speed and the failure of some systems. Investigators can also listen to conversations between the pilots and crew and communications with air traffic control. Experts make a meticulous transcript of the voice recording, which can take up to a week. The flight data recorder monitors a plane's altitude, airspeed and heading, according to the NTSB. Those factors are among at least 88 parameters that newly built planes must monitor. Some can collect the status of more than 1,000 other characteristics, from a wing's flap position to the smoke alarms. The NTSB said it can generate a computer-animated video reconstruction of the flight from the information collected. At least two people have been credited with creating devices that record what happens on an airplane. One is French aviation engineer François Hussenot. In the 1930s, he found a way to record a plane's speed, altitude and other parameters onto photographic film, according to the website for European plane-maker Airbus. In the 1950s, Australian scientist David Warren came up with the idea for the cockpit voice recorder, according to his 2010 AP obituary. Warren had been investigating the crash of the world's first commercial jet airliner, the Comet, in 1953, and thought it would be helpful for airline accident investigators to have a recording of voices in the cockpit, the Australian Department of Defence said in a statement after his death. Warren designed and constructed a prototype in 1956. But it took several years before officials understood just how valuable the device could be and began installing them in commercial airlines worldwide. Some have suggested that it stems from Hussenot's device because it used film and "ran continuously in a light-tight box, hence the name 'black box,'' according to Airbus, which noted that orange was the box's chosen color from the beginning to make it easy to find. Other theories include the boxes turning black when they get charred in a crash, the Smithsonian Magazine wrote in 2019. The media continues to use the term, the magazine wrote, "because of the sense of mystery it conveys in the aftermath of an air disaster.'
