Artificial intelligence company Perplexity AI is in talks to pre-install its new web browser on smartphones, as it expands beyond search technology.
Perplexity’s Comet browser, which launched in beta this month, uses the company’s AI search functions to locate websites and information.
“It's not easy to convince mobile OEMs to change the default browser to Comet from Chrome,” said Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas, though he said the company hopes to expose “tens to hundreds of millions” of users to its browser next year.
“Comet transforms entire browsing sessions into single, seamless interactions, collapsing complex workflows into fluid conversations,” wrote Perplexity. “With Comet, you don't search for information — you think out loud, and Comet executes complete workflows while keeping perfect context.”
The browser is currently available to Perplexity subscribers, with invitations rolling out to those on a waitlist over the coming months. It is based on Chromium, an open-source version of Google Chrome which also powers browsers like Microsoft Edge and Samsung Internet.
Perplexity has between 30 million and 40 million users, according to Srinivas. It will continue to operate separate apps for Comet and the company’s search functions.
Google Chrome is currently the most common pre-installed browser on smartphones, with around 70% of the market, according to Statcounter. Apple’s Safari is the second most common, at 21%.
Samsung is nearing a deal to invest in Perplexity, Bloomberg reported last month, which would include pre-installing Perplexity’s app and AI assistant on Samsung’s devices. Perplexity’s search functions could also reportedly be added to Samsung’s browser.
OpenAI is also reportedly planning to launch a Chromium-based AI web browser. It will release a ChatGPT agent this week, which can operate web browsers and computer software.
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