Google still accounts for the majority of search queries on the internet, but lately, the tech giant has been losing its market share to competitors and AI-powered search engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity, which reportedly account for around for about one per cent of search queries. And while most browsers are yet to get support for these AI search engines, Mozilla seems to be jumping on the bandwagon by adding Perplexity AI to its popular internet browser, Firefox.
As part of the Firefox 139 update, Mozilla has added an option that lets users switch to Perplexity AI to make searches directly from the address bar via the unified search button. While the non-profit organisation did not make a formal announcement, but has confirmed the news in a thread on its ‘Connect’ community forum.
Compared to traditional search engines like Google, which present a list of URLs you can click on, AI-powered search engines like Perplexity can summarise multiple search results in a visually appealing format. Also, these search engines are pretty accurate when it comes to identifying typos and grammatical mistakes.
Mozilla says Perplexity search offers direct and conversational answers, similar to Google’s AI Overviews feature. While the test is currently limited to the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany, users can also add Perplexity AI, users can easily add the AI-powered search assistant using a simple workaround.
Perplexity appears as a new search option in the new unified search bar. (Express Photo)
If you are interested in using Perplexity as a search engine, open Firefox and head over to ‘Perplexity.ai’. Now, type in your search query in the address bar, but instead of hitting enter, select “Search with Perplexity” from the dropdown suggestions. When you make a few searches using this method, Firefox will automatically ask if you want to add Perplexity as a search engine. One added, you will also be able to use the @perplexity keyword shortcut to search more quickly.
According to Windows Report, Mozilla says that if the experiment is positively received by users, they may add more AI-based answers or search options to Firefox. If you are interested in trying out AI-powered search engines like Perplexity and ChatGPT in Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, here’s how to do it.