Perplexity’s Comet and OpenAI’s rumoured browser are not just AI add-ons to old browsers, but potentially AI-native gateways to information
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Dado Ruvic
Perplexity AI is testing Comet, a new web browser designed around AI rather than traditional search, marking a potential turning point in how users interact with the internet. According to industry experts, unlike legacy browsers built around the search bar, Comet uses conversational interfaces powered by large language models (LLMs) to fetch, summarise, and contextualise information, reducing the need to sift through multiple links. Comet, along with a rumoured browser from OpenAI, suggests that browsing itself may be undergoing a redesign, shifting from static queries to dynamic interactions.
Conversational interfaces
To date, the internet has been structured around browsers and search, with Google shaping the web experience through the search bar. But with the rise of large language models ) like GPT-4o and Claude, that paradigm is evolving.
Jaspreet Bindra, Co-founder, of AI&Beyond noted that the web is beginning to structure itself around AI. Users will no longer enter the internet through a traditional search bar, but through conversational interfaces that understand intent and return context-aware answers.
Perplexity’s Comet and OpenAI’s rumoured browser are not just AI add-ons to old browsers, but potentially AI-native gateways to information. Bindra explained that Comet is built from the ground up to harness GenAI, transforming browsing into a more fluid and interactive experience.
He also noted that LLMs themselves are starting to behave like browsers by fetching, summarizing, and reasoning over information. In this new era of innovation, the competition extends beyond just between browsers to include bots.
“AI has already challenged the traditional search industry. With Perplexity, AI search will be more powerful and transform research and personalisation like never before. Traditional paradigms on SEM and SEO will be challenged, and as adoption increases, the usage cost is bound to come down. It will lead to a new way of thinking for both Enterprises and Customers in interacting with content of various forms,” Ashwin Kumar, Head of Growth, at MathCo.
However, the innovation feels more like an experimental move to see what sticks rather than a carefully planned, high-impact strategy, shared Chaitra Vedullapalli, co-founder of Women in Cloud and an early user of the Comet browser.
“The tech is sleek and the investors are A-list. But the model might be a blink-and-you-miss-it moment. This launch feels like classic ‘throw-and-see-what-sticks.’ Comets are fast, fiery, and unforgettable. But in reality, only some cause disruption. Only a rare few leave a lasting impact. Right now, it’s hard to tell which path Perplexity’s Comet will take. The timing doesn’t seem ideal, but the concept itself is strong.”
Anushree Verma, Sr Director Analyst at Gartner, called Comet an early example of an Agent-led interface where it is more targeted and streamlined to create a better user experience. More innovations in this space may come next year.
Verma added that Comet can alter many dynamics for vendors who pay to appear at the top of the search list. In such a case, the GTM for vendors needs to be revised; they must be visible to the language models rather than the browser. The web scraping or analytical models that feed into the language models need to be aware of the vendor’s products and services.
Comet is currently available only to Perplexity Max subscribers. The company plans to gradually roll out invite-only access to users on the waitlist over the summer. New users will also receive a limited number of invites to share with others, according to the company’s website.
Published on July 10, 2025