Brief Summary
This video provides a comprehensive guide to using Perplexity, an AI-powered search and information retrieval tool. It differentiates Perplexity from other AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, highlighting its strengths in delivering accurate, real-time information. The video covers settings, search functionalities, the Collections feature, limitations, and Pro features, offering practical examples and use cases.
- Perplexity excels at providing accurate, real-time information compared to creative tasks.
- The Collections feature is a standout for organizing research and applying custom prompts.
- Perplexity Pro offers enhanced search capabilities and access to advanced models, but the free version is sufficient for most users.
How to use Perplexity (for beginners)
Perplexity is positioned as an AI tool that excels in delivering accurate and real-time information, distinguishing it from tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, which are designed for creative tasks. While ChatGPT and Gemini are better for brainstorming and writing where factual accuracy isn't critical, Perplexity is more suitable when a high level of confidence in the answer is needed, such as for health or technical troubleshooting. The video also jokingly places Reddit as an "undisputed single source of truth," highlighting the varying degrees of reliability among online sources.
Settings for Perplexity
Perplexity allows users to exclude their data from its training process while still maintaining access to their conversation history. The video addresses a common misconception that the Pro version grants access to other paid AI tools like ChatGPT, clarifying that while you can select their models, the fine-tuning methods differ, with Perplexity optimized for accuracy and speed. The profile tab includes a self-introduction section, similar to ChatGPT's custom instructions, where users can input instructions that apply to all conversations within Perplexity. Customizing this section is highly recommended to tailor the AI's responses to specific needs.
Perplexity Search
Perplexity's "focus" feature allows users to narrow down the sources used for search, improving output quality. Options include searching the entire web, focusing on academic sources, social media, or videos, depending on the query. The "writing" option is Perplexity's attempt at a creative model, but the presenter finds ChatGPT and Google Gemini superior for creative writing. Free users can attach PDFs but not images, though converting images to PDF is a workaround. A real-world example demonstrates how Perplexity provides specific instructions to solve a Wi-Fi connection issue, drawing from various sources like Apple's and Marriott's help centers, and Reddit posts.
Collections Feature
The Collections feature is highlighted as a standout, allowing users to save research and apply AI prompts to entire collections. Using a trip to Japan as an example, the presenter shows how to create a collection and instruct Perplexity to act as a seasoned travel agent, tailoring responses to the user's situation. For more advanced use, collections can be instructed to generate structured outlines for presentations, following frameworks like the SCQA framework used by consulting firms. The presenter expresses greater confidence in the data provided by Perplexity due to the consistent inclusion of sources for almost every bullet point. Collections can be accessed and edited in the library tab.
What Perplexity is NOT good for
Perplexity is compared to ChatGPT and Google Gemini in a brainstorming task for YouTube thumbnail ideas, revealing that Perplexity does not perform as well in creative tasks. The ideas generated by ChatGPT were more creative and relevant. This reinforces the idea that Perplexity competes more with Google AI Overviews, which also prioritize accuracy in their answers, rather than with more creatively oriented models like Gemini or ChatGPT.
Perplexity Pro Features
The Pro version of Perplexity allows users to set preferred text-to-text and text-to-image models, with the FLUX model noted as a popular image generation option. Image generation is exclusive to Pro users. Pro users also get 600 daily Pro Searches, which consider more sources and provide more detailed answers compared to regular searches. The video briefly mentions other features like generating blog posts and a "Discover" tab, but notes they were not covered due to the presenter's limited use of them. The "labs.perplexity.ai" is a playground environment for developers to test Perplexity's large language models.
