How is Perplexity AI different? Inside the AI assistant everyone’s talking about

AI tools are popping up left and right, but most of them feel like copy-paste versions of each other. Then I stumbled on Perplexity—and yeah, it actually made me pause and dig in.

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Since ChatGPT came out in 2022, it’s become my go-to productivity buddy. I rely on it to help me gather ideas and keep things organized. But just last week, I read that Samsung might soon add Perplexity AI’s search tech to the Galaxy S26 phones. That caught my attention. Then I heard Meta and Apple might want to buy Perplexity altogether, and my curiosity grew even more. Still, I was a bit doubtful—after all, other ChatGPT alternatives like Deep Seek and Grok didn’t impress me. But after testing out Perplexity myself, I’m kind of hooked. So, the big question: “how is Perplexity AI different?”

I’ve tried Perplexity for everything from planning trips to writing academic papers. Let’s check out how the popular AI stacks up against ChatGPT.

What is Perplexity AI?

When someone tells me they’ve replaced Google with ChatGPT, I can’t help but raise an eyebrow. ChatGPT is definitely impressive—it pulls knowledge from a huge mix of books, websites, articles, and more. But it has a habit of going off course or making up facts now and then. That’s exactly the gap Perplexity AI is trying to close.

Perplexity doesn’t just reply based on what it’s been trained on. It scans credible sources across the web and gives you a clear, well-informed response.

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Perplexity AI

At its core, Perplexity is an answer engine powered by AI. It’s designed to deliver accurate, trustworthy, and up-to-the-minute responses to whatever question you throw at it.

Travel planning

This September, I’m heading to Ayia Napa, Cyprus. And since I like to have every detail nailed down well in advance, I didn’t waste any time. I turned straight to Perplexity AI and ChatGPT for travel suggestions.

Here’s the prompt I used: 

I’ll be spending a week in and around Ayia Napa, Cyprus, in early September. Please create a one-week travel itinerary that blends fun activities with culturally rich experiences.

To be fair, both Perplexity and ChatGPT pointed me to amazing spots like the 16th-century Ayia Napa Monastery. That one struck a chord, maybe because I live in Armenia and have a soft spot for ancient landmarks. But when it came to depth and helpfulness, Perplexity pulled ahead.

Here’s one of its standout suggestions:

Hike the trails of Cape Greco National Forest Park, enjoying panoramic sea views, birdwatching, and the famous Blue Lagoon.

That’s the kind of recommendation I’m after—complete, vivid, and practical. You get the what, the where, and the why in one go.

ChatGPT, on the other hand, felt a little flat. Its answers were brief and not exactly memorable. Here’s an example:

Walk the Venetian Walls, Othello Castle, and Gothic churches.

I also loved Perplexity’s FAQ-style section. The questions and answers are direct, and in some cases, surprisingly insightful. A few even made me want to dig deeper just out of curiosity.

If you’re planning a trip soon and prefer thorough, engaging recommendations over quick bullet points, Perplexity is definitely worth checking out.

Academic writing

I remember being a junior in college when ChatGPT made its debut. In our English department, grades suddenly shot up. Before long, Turnitin tried to step in and fix what they saw as a crisis, slapping on an AI detection feature. Was it effective? Not really.

Our writing class turned into something that felt more like group therapy, mostly for our professor. He wasn’t shy about sharing his frustration. “I’ve got all these students flagged by Turnitin for using AI,” he told us. “But there’s a 2% margin of error. So I might be wrong.”

Honestly, I felt for him. As a fellow writer, I understood the concern. But let’s be real—AI tools save tons of time on the repetitive, boring parts of writing. If you’re still on the fence about using AI, you might find yourself left behind while others are quietly working smarter.

I ran a little test using a UNICEF report. ChatGPT? The AI assistant crushed the formal tone and structure. Super polished. But… it made up details. Like claiming the report was from 2017 when it was actually published in 2020.

Perplexity played it safe by using the in-text citation “(UNICEF, n.d.)”—not ideal, but at least it didn’t fabricate a date. I’d rather have accuracy than error.

Parting thoughts

After trying out Perplexity AI for myself, I can see why everyone’s talking about it. It’s not just another ChatGPT wannabe—it feels different. The real-time web search, the clear sources, the way it breaks down complex info without sounding robotic… it surprised me.