Perplexity is the AI tool Gemini wishes it could be | ZDNET
I'm an Android user and have been since version 1.5 of the OS. Over the past year or so, Google has switched its default assistant to its powerful AI solution, Gemini. For a while, I used Gemini on Android to get answers to my questions. I even made use of Gemini Live (which is quite impressive). But recently, I've been defaulting to a different AI service, Perplexity.
Why Perplexity over Gemini?
I've installed the Perplexity app on Android, Linux, and MacOS, and set it as the default search engine in my web browser. Although I prefer using local AI (such as the Ollama/Msty combination), there are times when I need more or something faster than a local AI can deliver. On top of that, my locally installed AI doesn't have access to real-time data, so it can't tell me what's in the news today.
For starters, you can't switch from Gemini to Perplexity as the Android default digital assistant, and I doubt that will ever be possible. You can, however, use Perplexity on your phone, desktop, and laptop as the default AI tool.
Why choose Perplexity?
I've found Perplexity not only gives better answers (with more description and context) but the answers are also more accurate. The response detail in Perplexity is much higher than Gemini.
One of my favorite features of Perplexity is the "Ask follow-up" option. I can ask it a question, and once it gives me an answer, I can type a follow-up question to continue the discussion. This feature makes it very easy to dig deeper and deeper into a subject.
Both AI tools add references to responses. The biggest difference is that Perplexity lists those sources at the top of their responses and, generally speaking, offers considerably more sources than Gemini. The other nice thing about Perplexity is that it cites the sources in line. Hover over a citation, and a pop-up appears with the source link and a brief section of the text used.
The only caveat to using Perplexity over Gemini is that Gemini's integration with other services is extensive, whereas Perplexity's is limited. Even with that knock against Perplexity, I will continue to use it over Gemini… even on Android.
