Perplexity unveiled a new virtual assistant for Android devices on Thursday, leveraging the capabilities of its answer engine. This AI-driven assistant is designed to respond to user inquiries, generate text messages, and carry out various tasks within apps. Notably, it boasts multimodal features, enabling it to utilize the user’s camera for object analysis. This virtual assistant will be incorporated into the updated Perplexity Android app and will be available for free to users with compatible devices.
Perplexity Launches an AI-Powered Assistant
In an announcement shared on X, previously known as Twitter, Perplexity’s official account revealed the launch of the new AI assistant for Android. Named Perplexity Assistant, it operates on the same powerful engine that drives Perplexity’s search platform. The post showcased its ability to combine reasoning, web searches, and app interactions to manage a diverse array of tasks.
During the announcement, Perplexity’s CEO, Aravind Srinivas, noted, “This marks the transition for Perplexity from an answer engine to a natively integrated assistant that can call other apps and perform basic tasks for you.”
Members of the Gadgets 360 team had the opportunity to interact with the new virtual assistant. Users can access Perplexity Assistant within the updated app interface. After setup, users can invoke the assistant to reveal a bottom sheet featuring a refreshed logo and a blue dot-matrix waveform indicating that the AI is actively listening. Following a prompt, three animated white lines appear, signifying that the request is being processed.
The interface includes a camera icon, a settings icon, and a keyboard icon at the bottom of the screen. The camera icon enables the assistant to utilize visuals from the device’s camera. Users can direct their device towards an object and request information from Perplexity Assistant, who can respond accordingly.
Regarding its capabilities, the company announced that Perplexity Assistant can handle various tasks, such as making dinner reservations, identifying songs, booking rides, drafting emails, setting reminders, and more. Currently, the assistant is compatible with apps like Spotify, Uber, and YouTube, allowing it to perform a range of tasks within those platforms.
In addition to app interactions, the virtual assistant can browse the internet to address a wide variety of queries. Its AI models are designed to retain context throughout a session, enabling users to ask follow-up questions without reiterating previous prompts.
