• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, July 10, 2025

Perplexity subscribers on Wednesday gained first access to the company’s AI-based browser, Comet, which challenges Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge.

Comet -- which will change search and browsing and in the future, advertising -- features Perplexity’s AI search engine, pre-installed and set as the default.

Users can access Comet Assistant, an AI agent from Perplexity. It comes with the web browser and aims to automate routine tasks.

The browser cannot only pull up a video anywhere on the open web, such as YouTube, but identify the exact moment the content in the video will play.

The assistant in the browser can summarize emails and calendar events, manage tabs, and navigate webpages on behalf of users.

Users can access Comet Assistant by opening a sidecar on any webpage, which lets the AI agent see what is on the webpage and answer questions about it.

Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas wants to reach users without having to go through Google Chrome. At one point he expressed interest in acquiring Chrome if the U.S. Department of Justice forces Google to sell it.

Comet also will gather data on user activity outside of the Perplexity app to deliver more personalized advertising. The company also wants to embed agentic features into Comet that will support, among many services, shopping. All made possible by integrating AI directly into the browsing experience and collecting data.

Data in 2025 becomes even more valuable. When Gartner for a 2025 study asked about brands that have earned their trust, 92% of consumers are still able to list at least one. The top factors that influenced consumers’ trust in these brands included fair prices, consistent quality, responsive customer service, and honest business claims. Many consumers also pointed to brands understanding their needs, safeguarding their data, as well as the brand’s corporate governance policies.

For consumers to trust a brand, they must perceive that the brand will protect customers’ online data security and privacy. One thing to remember, consumer distrust in brands is on the rise and they are reluctant to continue buying from brands that have broken their trust.

For brands, trust is difficult to acquire and keep, but there will be plenty of AI-based browser options for consumers.

OpenAI reportedly will soon launch its own browser, complete with the ability to link AI agents. I wouldn’t be surprised to an AI-powered browser from Meta Platforms, soon. Meta AI already exists, but that is an AI assistant not a web browser.

AI search and AI browsers are seeing rapid growth. Perplexity saw 780 million queries in May 2025, and the company’s search engine has seen more than 20% growth month-over-month.

The next phase of search and browsing will be done by connecting actions. Searching for information becomes a thing of the past, as long as you're willing to give up information and trust technology.