Perplexity launches free "in-depth research" tools to help professional research

Recently, AI company Perplexity announced the launch of a brand new "in-depth research" tool, becoming another competitor in the industry. The launch of this tool follows Google and OpenAI, which have also launched similar features on their respective AI platforms. The three jointly adopt the name "Deep Research" to provide professional users with more detailed and reliable Research the answer.

Perplexity’s “In-depth Research” feature can be used on web pages and will be integrated into Mac, iOS and Android applications in the future. Users simply select "In-depth Research" from the drop-down menu when submitting a query, and a detailed report will be generated, which users can export as PDF format or share as a Perplexity page.

The core of this new feature lies in its research capabilities. Perplexity says that "in-depth research" will "iteratively search, read documents, and think about what to do next", as if it is a human researcher who is delving into a new topic. According to the test results, Perplexity's "in-depth research" performed well in the AI ​​benchmark test of "The Last Human Exam", with a score of 21.1%, far exceeding other models, such as Gemini Thinking (6.2%) and Grok-2 (3.8%). ) and OpenAI's GPT-4o (3.3%), but it still did not reach OpenAI's "in-depth research" score of 26.6%.

Unlike OpenAI's "In-depth Research" that requires a Pro subscription of $200 per month, Perplexity's "In-depth Research" is currently available for free. Although the number of daily queries for non-subscribers is limited, paid users can enjoy the convenience of unlimited queries. . In addition, Perplexity's tools also have advantages in completing tasks at a speed, with most tasks completed in three minutes, while OpenAI's tasks take between 5 and 30 minutes.

When comparing major in-depth research products, Perplexity pointed out the differences in performance between different technologies, pricing models and different use cases: Perplexity has outstanding performance in terms of speed and convenience, and is suitable for leisure researchers; while OpenAI is an analysis of enterprise applications It has the advantage in depth; Google has the best integration in the existing productivity ecosystem.

While it is not possible to accurately predict how these tools affect daily and professional research, The Economist recently pointed out some of the shortcomings of OpenAI's "in-depth research" that may also apply in Perplexity's tools. Relying on a super smart assistant for research may reduce our chances of generating the best ideas.