Perplexity, the AI-powered search engine that was recently in the limelight for all the wrong reasons, has announced that its Pro Search feature is now better at tackling "more complex queries, performing advanced math and programming computations, and delivering even more thoroughly researched answers." In a blog post, Perplexity shared some examples of what the new and improved Pro Search can do. When asked about the best time to see the northern lights in Iceland or Finland, the AI-powered search engine divided the answer into three segments –– the best time to see the phenomena in both countries, the best locations to see the northern lights, and a detailed explanation that covers all aspects of the question. However, a report by Android Authority suggested that the upgraded Pro Search feature only worked as expected with an IP address located in the United States, hinting that the company might be slowly rolling out the functionality in other parts of the world. As for the improved math and programming capabilities, Perplexity says that Pro Search is "now faster and more powerful for data analysis, debugging, and content generation. The company also seems to have integrated the Wolfram|Alpha engine, making Perplexity better at solving mathematical questions. We’re excited to announce an updated version of our Pro Search that can perform deeper research on more complex queries with multi-step reasoning, Wolfram|Alpha, and code execution. pic.twitter.com/BW4mXsAyIZ — Perplexity (@perplexity_ai) July 2, 2024 Perplexity says its "Quick Search" feature is best for getting answers quickly but if you need more in-depth answers, Pro Search is the way to go. Since this is an optional functionality, users will have to manually enable the Pro toggle in the search bar. Free users can perform up to five searches in a day using Pro Search, while those on the paid tier are limited to 600 Pro searches. Similar to ChatGPT and other popular AI-powered chatbots, Perplexity subscription costs $20 per month. In the last few weeks, Perplexity has been under fire from various publications like Wired and Forbes, who accused the company of plagiarising content and scraping information from articles locked behind a paywall.
