Perplexity AI
AI-powered answer engine that provides sourced responses to queries, representing the future of AI search.
Definition
Perplexity AI is an AI-powered answer engine that combines conversational AI with real-time web search. Unlike traditional search engines that return links, Perplexity provides comprehensive answers synthesized from multiple sources, with inline citations showing where information originated.
Perplexity represents a new search paradigm where users get direct answers rather than lists of links. It uses RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) to search the web, retrieve relevant information, and generate accurate, sourced responses.
Why It Matters
Perplexity and similar AI search engines are changing how people find information. For marketers, this means optimizing content to be cited by these systems—not just ranked in traditional search results.
As Perplexity grows (reaching millions of users), being cited in its responses becomes a significant traffic and credibility driver for brands.
Examples in Practice
A user asks Perplexity "best email marketing platforms for small business" and receives a detailed comparison with pros, cons, and pricing, citing specific review sites and vendor pages as sources.
A researcher uses Perplexity to get a sourced overview of a topic, with each claim linked to its original source for verification.