Perplexity is eyeing a {hardware} debut by constructing an AI-enabled, voice-based machine for customers to ask questions and get solutions.
“Contemplating making a easy, beneath $50 {hardware} machine, that can reliably reply your questions voice to voice,” Aravind Srinivas, the founder and CEO of the AI-powered search engine, mentioned in a publish on X on Monday, November 25.
“If this publish will get greater than 5000 likes, will certainly make it,” he added. In response to his publish reaching the mark on Tuesday, Srinivas mentioned, “Alright. LFG!”
Perplexity has emerged as a key participant that’s wanting to tackle Google within the quickly intensifying race to develop AI search engines. The AI search startup was based by an IIT Madras graduate made a splash when it raised tens of millions of dollars from the likes of Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos and different outstanding tech buyers.
Nevertheless, Perplexity is at present dealing with a number of authorized threats from heavyweight publishers like The New York Instances, Dow Jones, and Condé Nast for allegedly crawling their web sites when it was not supposed to and reproducing parts of reports articles verbatim.
A number of high-profile AI startups are planning to dabble in {hardware} so as to redefine how customers work together with AI methods and achieve an edge within the fiercely aggressive AI race.
Earlier this yr, the corporate behind AI picture generator Midjourney mentioned it was forming a brand new crew to work on constructing {hardware}. Just lately, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed that he was working with Jony Ive, the previous design chief of Apple, on a brand new AI {hardware} venture.
Though, a couple of AI ventures who tried their hand at {hardware} have faltered and collapsed in current months. As an illustration, Rabbit’s handheld, AI-powered gadget referred to as R1 was supposed to exchange smartphones because it might do every part quite a bit sooner and higher. Nevertheless, months after its spectacular debut at CES 2024, machine gross sales have been underwhelming with a sluggish rollout of extra options.
Humane’s wearable Ai Pin suffered the same destiny – if not a harsher one – with studies suggesting that the corporate is up for acquisition.