Perplexity CEO refutes claims of ad-tracking browser plans, says focus is on utility and user choice

Perplexity AI

Recently, Perplexity AI CEO, Aravind Srinivas, appeared on the TBPN podcast, where he suggested that through its first browser, the company aims to rigorously track and collect everything a user does, even outside the app, to sell premium ads, which would be based on the user’s likings. This approach is similar to Google, which has spent years refining a similar model through its Chrome browser, serving as one of the most powerful data-gathering tools on the web.

Now, Srinivas is pushing back against claims that the company is building an ad-personalizing browser that tracks user behavior. In a series of posts on X, Srinivas dismissed a recent viral article as “low-effort clickbait” that took his podcast comments out of context. He clarified that the discussion was purely hypothetical, aimed at exploring how advertising might work in future AI-powered assistants—not a concrete roadmap.

The real priority, Srinivas said in his post, is memory and personalisation—but not for ads. Instead, he views these as core capabilities essential to building a fully functional AI assistant. Ads are optional, and so is memory.

According to Srinivas, Perplexity users will ultimately have three distinct paths: no memory, no ads – functioning like a traditional browser. Or memory without ads – offering a smarter, more personalized experience. And third, memory with ads – where ads may appear only in the Discover feed, not during core searches.

That third option, he stressed, is not currently in development. “We have zero bandwidth to even work on it,” he said, noting that all resources are focused on refining the second, ad-free memory option.

Srinivas also emphasised user autonomy, saying the company is committed to giving individuals full control over their data and experience. “Every user will be given the option to not be part of the personalization,” he said. “It’s up to them to make a trade-off between utility and privacy.”