Perplexity’s Comet browser to track user behavior for ad personalization

Perplexity

Earlier this year, Perplexity AI announced plans to launch its independent browser, Comet, which is an interesting departure from its core identity of an AI assistant. However, the company is now taking an obscurely honest approach with this browser, as the company has now announced the plans to collect data on everything users do from Comet, so that it can sell premium ads.

Recently, Perplexity’s CEO, Aravind Srinivas, appeared on the TBPN podcast, where he revealed 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.

Further, Srinivas elaborated that data from browsing habits, such as purchases, hotel visits, and location preferences, would provide deeper insights to its servers, compared to typical work-related prompts submitted to AI systems. Therefore, with this browser, Perplexity is laying the groundwork for a broader ecosystem, potentially where its AI assistant doesn’t just answer your questions, but understands the user’s routines, preferences, and priorities across the web.

However, this announcement in the podcast has gained traction on social media, and Srinivas has issued a clarification on X, referring to an article from TechCrunch on the matter: “The podcast hosts asked me a hypothetical question about how ads could play out in AI products, including Perplexity. I laid out a scenario. The core point was first cracking memory and personalization if you do want relevant ads.”

Further, in another tweet, Srinivas stated: “every user will eventually have three options: no memory (will feel like a traditional browser), memory without ads (smart stateful browser, but pure utility) and memory with ads (stateful browser, ads only on Discover feed, not on core searches).”