This AI Assistant Wants to Make Google Search Obsolete - And Investors Just Gave It $100 Million to Do It

Google Killer or Pretender?

Google has dominated internet search for over two decades. But new AI startups like Perplexity.ai believe the time is ripe for an alternative that understands natural language and summarizes information from across the web.

Perplexity's AI Assistant Provides Conversational Answers

Perplexity.ai launched in 2022 with the goal of creating "AI-native search" that feels more natural for users. When you search on Perplexity, it responds in plain language instead of just links.

This allows you to have an actual conversation with Perplexity's AI assistant. You can ask follow-up questions to clarify or expand your search. The assistant even has a "Copilot" feature that proactively asks you questions to better understand your intent.

Perplexity summarizes information from across the web to provide direct answers to queries. It also includes links to the original sources it used so users can verify the information themselves.

The startup believes this conversational, transparent approach will resona…