To compete with Google in internet search requires a great deal of blatant, below-the-surface daring. Google’s over 90% global market share has been challenged by a number of search engines, including Microsoft, DuckDuckGo, Brave, and others. The idea that Google would sell Chrome, its immensely successful web browser, is absurd.

Perplexity, an AI search business, appears to have a lot of brain injuries and a pair of grits and galls since, in addition to wanting to overtake Google in online search, it also offered to purchase Chrome altogether for $34.5 billion, which is $14.5 billion more than Perplexity is worth.

Perplexity doesn’t actually need Chrome, other from the fact that it will instantly have access to billions of people. I’ve been using Comet, an AI-powered web browser, for the past few weeks, and I’m setting it as my default.

Comet is a Chromium-based web browser with AI capabilities that centers the experience on Perplexity’s answer engine.

Google created the open-source Chromium web browser standard, which enables anybody to create their own browser using the Chromium codebase. Chromium is the foundation of browsers like Microsoft Edge and Opera. A consistent online experience with regular security updates and compatibility with Chrome extensions is made possible by building a Chromium browser.

Without the Google connections, Comet is basically half Chrome.

What Comet can achieve that Chrome cannot is as follows: Perplexity AI summaries with connections to several sources are produced by entering questions into Comet’s address bar. When you highlight text and right-click, a search and summary powered by Perplexity will appear. You may ask follow-up questions and ask the Perplexity assistant to describe a YouTube video for you while you’re watching it. Articles may also be summarized using the same tool. (However, I just read articles because I’m a journalist and don’t have TikTok brain.) Comet is also capable of acting as an agent. For instance, Comet’s integrated AI assistant can automatically add cards to my basket on TCGplayer, a different card marketplace, after analyzing a Grand Archive deck that has won.

My internet usage is altered in subtle but significant ways by Comet’s AI power. An article on a political candidate may be expanded by AI, allowing me to inquire about their voting record and policies. Alternatively, I may use the Perplexity assistant to inquire about which switches on the market provide the finest “thock” with a “creamy” sensation while I’m searching for a mechanical keyboard. (The Gateron Oil King switches are highly recommended by Perplexity.)

Could I open an other ChatGPT tab and do the same thing? Yes. However, since everything is integrated into the browser, I don’t have to spend time providing the AI chatbot with the context it needs. It can see what I’m attempting to explain by glancing at the screen I’m looking at.

But Comet is not flawless. Perplexity itself is my greatest source of discomfort. Depending on how recent they are, I frequently have to cite other articles and bits of information when I write. Perplexity provides me with a synopsis of CNET’s coverage on Gemini and a few links when I type “CNET Gemini” into the URL bar, but these are not the links I’m searching for. I frequently search for the most recent articles on Gemini that CNET has released. (This also holds true when I look for “site:cnet.com gemini.”) This is not limited to backlinking connected to CNETs. I frequently attempt to find the most recent news when studying other subjects, and Perplexity usually yields more illuminating articles.

Due to Google’s tendency to index links based on recentness, I frequently find myself going to Google searches.

Perplexity’s agentic capacities’ consistency is another issue. The ChatGPT Agent was introduced last month. This new ChatGPT mode allows an AI to browse and do research on your behalf. However, it takes time. I instructed the ChatGPT Agent, for instance, to search for hotel rooms close to the San Diego Convention Center on particular dates and at a particular price. I had to browse the web for fifteen minutes before ChatGPT Agent presented me with a few possibilities. Perplexity attempted to do this task using Comet in as short as 30 seconds. The hotel suggestions didn’t fit my desired location or budget, which was the issue. It would be a waste of time, but I could definitely go back and forth with Perplexity to help it concentrate.

I attempted to replicate the Grand Archive deck I had constructed the previous day in a different test. After seeing a list of winning decks, I requested Perplexity to calculate the cost of creating an identical deck and adding those cards to my TCGplayer cart. On this occasion, Perplexity became stuck. It was unable to go to the next stage, which was to visit TCGplayer, but it continued to attempt to compile an accurate list. I would give it a resounding affirmative when it asked if I was prepared to go. It would always think for a long time and then do nothing.

Therefore, it’s fantastic when Perplexity functions. It might feel like a game of chance to get it to function, though.

However, a final score for Comet seems premature. Only Max users may use the browser at this time, and there will likely be many more changes soon. Even so, it’s a sneak peek at what AI-powered web surfing will look like, and I anticipate that Google will move quickly to protect its market dominance.

Disclaimer:

This essay is just meant to be instructive and informative. The opinions are based on information that is accessible to the public and on personal experience. According to Google, Perplexity, Comet, or any other firm mentioned, it does not represent or purport to reflect any official remarks.