29 July 2025

Perplexity Comet: Testing the NEW AI Web Browser

0Frameworks

12Insights

Insights & moments

The myth-busts, hot takes, explainers, and tools worth keeping.

Hot Take· 2

Hot Take09:50

AI Browsers Move the Internet From Answers to Action

The host argues that conventional browsing separates research from execution: users collect answers and then independently decide what to do. An AI-native browser can interpret material, apply it to a situation, continue the conversation, and begin producing the resulting asset.

Traditional search ends with information retrieval
AI browsers can contextualize answers for the user's situation
Conversational browsing shortens the path to execution
Desktop browsing is becoming multimodal

“one of my core things with artificial intelligence is that it allows the internet to go from answers to action.”
10:00

“desktop browsing is becoming very multimodal. Not just text and click but talking and I'm sure soon video uh two-way.”
10:30

#future of web#ai agents#multimodal#browsing

Hot Take14:00

The Early Verdict on Comet—and the Coming Browser War

The host plans to keep using Comet primarily for email, calendar, voice browsing, and summarization, while testing Google Docs compatibility and more advanced flows. He predicts intense competition as Google, OpenAI, and other companies build or reinvent browsers around AI-native behavior.

Email and calendar actions are the strongest immediate use cases
Voice browsing and summarization stand out for learning
A 30-day trial will test whether Comet becomes habitual
Major AI companies are expected to compete for browser ownership
Access is initially limited to invitees and Perplexity Max subscribers

“We are about to have an allout war in the browser world.”
14:10

“I think I'm just going to commit to trying to use it for the next 30 days”
15:10

#product review#browser war#comet#adoption

Explainer· 2

Explainer02:00

What Makes Comet an AI-Native Browser?

Comet embeds an AI assistant directly into the browsing experience rather than operating as a separate chatbot. It can use the context of open pages and connected services to answer questions, generate content, and perform browser-based actions.

AI assistance is integrated into everyday browsing
The assistant can reference tabs for contextual answers
Connected services extend Comet beyond public web content
The browser combines research, generation, and action

“And they're AI built in and they integrate into everything you're doing.”
02:00

#ai browsers#perplexity#comet#web agents

Explainer13:10

Browser Memory and Cross-Tab Research Could Become Core Features

The episode highlights two emerging capabilities: conversational search over browsing history and comparison across several open tabs. In the product example, Comet examines multiple bicycle pages to determine which product can be delivered fastest.

AI can make browser history easier to query
Memory may preserve useful context across browsing sessions
Comet can compare information across open tabs
Cross-tab analysis supports product and delivery decisions

“an AI browser with memory I think is going to be very very powerful.”
13:20

“Which of these bikes will ship to me the fastest?”
13:30

#browser history#memory#comparison shopping#research

Story· 1

Story08:50

Voice Browsing Applies a Video's Advice to a Local Business

The host adopts the persona of an Ohio landscaping company and asks Comet how advice from the open video could apply to that business. The assistant proposes interactive tools such as a lawn-care estimator or seasonal plant recommender, showing how page context can inform a spoken consultation.

Voice questions can reference the page currently being viewed
Comet adapts general advice to a specific business context
The response suggests concrete lead-generation tools
Users can continue the exchange conversationally

“I'm a landscaping company in Columbus, Ohio called Leaves of Grass, and I want to attract more local clients to my business.”
09:00

“you could build a tool that helps homeowners visualize seasonal plant recommendations or estimate lawn care costs based on their yard size.”
Comet Assistant · 09:20

#voice ai#local business#lead generation#vibe coding

Tool· 5

Tool02:50

Connecting Comet to Email, Calendar, and Cloud Data

Comet needs explicit connections before it can work with private information in services such as Gmail or Dropbox. Once enabled, those connections let the assistant prepare meeting briefs, inspect calendars, and help manage inbox tasks.

Private work data requires enabled connections
Calendar access supports meeting preparation
Inbox access enables email discovery and drafting
Connected apps determine much of the browser's practical value

“you're going to need to dive in settings and enable some connections”
02:50

“Can you help me prep for my first meeting tomorrow morning?”
03:00

#integrations#gmail#calendar#productivity

Tool04:20

Comet Turns Website Research Into a Prospect Email

The host asks Comet to inspect Ramp's website, identify possible marketing improvements, and turn the findings into an email for its co-founders. Comet researches the company, generates recommendations, identifies the founders, and prepares a Gmail draft without being given their email addresses.

Comet can research a prospect's website
It converts findings into marketing recommendations
The assistant can draft outreach inside Gmail
The workflow compresses several sales tasks into one request

“Can you research ramp.com and give me a breakdown of three to five ways they could improve their marketing by browsing by browsing their website?”
04:30

“I can get a first draft of an email written.”
06:00

#sales#prospecting#email#marketing research

Tool07:10

Comet Summarizes Videos and Pages in Place

Comet can summarize the current page without requiring users to copy content into another AI tool. In the demonstration, it extracts the central process and key points from a Marketing Against the Grain YouTube video.

Summaries are available on the current page
The feature works with YouTube videos
It can extract processes and key takeaways
Summaries can accelerate customer and prospect research

“What happens here is that you have it's summarizing the current web page.”
07:30

“what they've done with Perplexity is bring this feature to any web page”
07:50

#summarization#youtube#research#content analysis

Tool11:10

The Page Assistant Finds, Checks, and Explores Related Content

Comet brings an assistant panel to any page and offers actions grounded in the current content. The demonstrated options include summarizing a video, extracting key takeaways, finding similar videos, and running a fact check.

The assistant remains available across websites
Suggested actions depend on the current page
Related-content discovery links directly to results
The interface supports follow-up questions about page content

“you can bring the AI experience to any page you're at on the internet”
11:10

“You can summarize this video. You get the key takeaways. Find similar videos. Run a fact check.”
11:30

#content discovery#fact checking#assistant#research

Tool12:30

Comet Can Operate Websites and Automate Clicks

Because the assistant is embedded in the browser, it can perform multi-step interactions rather than merely describe them. The example shown is creating a custom walking route in Google Maps starting from the Tower of London.

Comet can take control of browser interactions
It can perform multi-step website tasks
A route-planning example demonstrates click automation
Automation can reduce minutes of manual work to seconds

“because all this is in the browser. It can take control of your browser and do a lot of the steps for you and save…”
12:50

#browser automation#google maps#ai agents#workflow

Takeaway· 2

Takeaway05:50

Why Comet's Write Access Matters More Than Retrieval

Many AI integrations can retrieve information but stop before taking action. Comet's differentiator is its ability to move from gathered information into actions such as creating an email draft through a connected service.

Retrieval-only integrations leave execution to the user
Comet can act through connected applications
Write access reduces handoffs between research and execution
The value depends on compatibility with a company's software stack

“a lot of integrations with these AI tools are kind of readon like they can go get information and give it to you but perplexity…”
05:50

#ai agents#automation#integrations#productivity

Takeaway15:40

AI Browsers Could Make Website Information More Important Than Design

The host predicts that agentic browsing will change what makes a website effective. As assistants extract information and act on it for users, visual presentation may matter less than having sufficiently rich, structured, and actionable information available.

AI assistants may mediate more website interactions
Information depth could outweigh visual presentation
Website content must support downstream user actions
Marketers may need to optimize for both humans and browsing agents

“What your website looks like is going to be less important than the information and the depth of information there that somebody can go take…”
15:50

#web design#content strategy#ai search#marketing