In his regular column, Jonathan McCrea admits to being a bit of a Perplexity fan. He says an early look at its new agentic Comet browser should be a wake-up call for vendors.
Before I start with this, I want to be very clear. I am a very modern husband. I organise the kids’ sports activities, I make their lunches, I cook, I clean, I plan our holidays – I’m doing at least 60pc of the domestic stuff here, OK? But I dread the physical act of shopping.
As someone who believes in elegant technological solutions, the entire process feels brutally inefficient. Drive somewhere, find parking, walk to the shop, wait for assistance, listen to product comparisons, wonder if there’s a better deal elsewhere. It’s a colossal time-suck.
The same frustration applies everywhere. Booking hotels feels like death by a thousand papercuts. Endless options, filters, comparisons. Need a gardener? A BER certificate? Tennis racket repair? Everything takes an eternity. With all the talk about AI assistants and agents, why can’t something just handle this for me?
Well, this week I got early access to Perplexity’s new agentic browser, Comet. It’s quite something.
If you haven’t been following developments in search, you’ve missed a whirlwind. Multiple companies have challenged Google’s dominance by integrating AI into search, from familiar players like Microsoft, Firefox and Brave to newcomers like Arc, Rabbit and Dia. AI-enabled browsing is now commonplace.
But Perplexity has emerged as the clear leader. If you haven’t used Perplexity AI yet, you’re wasting enormous amounts of your precious time. It’s become my go-to for virtually any question. I simply don’t use Google Search anymore.
Perplexity has made ‘getting the right answer’ so frictionless that in just two years, it’s transformed from an obscure Silicon Valley start-up into an $18bn unicorn. This week, they had the audacity to offer $34.4bn for Google Chrome.
Comet is new though. It’s the first agentic browser that actually works at a tolerable speed. This is exactly the kind of agent I wrote about in May: an AI that operates both within and outside browsers, able to do more than just search for information, but also operate a mouse, watch videos and analyse information on-screen. Vendors, take note.
Here’s a few things I’ve already done with Comet’s in-browser assistant:
“Find that Ottolenghi pesto recipe with mange tout and anchovies, then add all ingredients to a Tesco cart and arrange delivery for tomorrow evening.”
I made tea. When I returned, I was staring at the payments page waiting for my credit card details, stunned.
“Find three suppliers of BER certificates in south County Dublin. Open each in a separate tab, use their contact forms to request quotes and ask about availability.”
Done.
“My passenger information is in this Google doc. Book me on the first flight to LHR from Dublin Sunday morning, no extras.”
Completed.
“Summarise this YouTube video’s main points. Take me to the part showing how to open my car’s fuel tank when the button doesn’t work.”
A flawless execution. So valuable if you just want to learn something quick and don’t want to be hit with a dozen ads because the content is padded out for max ad revenue.
“Analyse the statistics on this page and give me some actionable insights for my next few podcast episodes.”
Comet’s assistant analysed data in the graph in seconds and gave me some solid tips for increasing content engagement.
Yes, ChatGPT launched its not-quite-ready ‘agent mode’ before Comet. Manus AI was doing really impressive work before that. But for automated browsing tasks, Comet actually works – and nails it. When this product reaches the public, expect massive adoption: filling out forms, getting supplier quotes, searching within sites like Booking.com, Daft.ie, or Airbnb, it all takes forever. For someone who gets infuriated by inefficiency, being able to clearly voice my needs to Comet and let it work in the background is transformative.
In a year full of technological leaps, it’s easy to dismiss everything as hype. But mark my words: agentic browsers will gain increasing agency from people with busy lives. While I wouldn’t yet connect my email or banking details, many others will.
I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating: If you sell products or services online, ensure your information is easily discoverable and that agents can simply ask questions or complete forms. Interactive questionnaires, sliders, PDF forms, and other complicated customer interactions will drive business straight to your competitors.
The future is automated, and it’s arriving faster than any of us fully realise.
Further information on Jonathan’s Get Started with AI here.
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