Perplexity, a leading innovator in artificial intelligence, has launched Sonar, a competitive search API product designed to redefine the AI search experience. Positioned as the most affordable option in the current market, Sonar is available in two versions: a base version and a premium version known as Sonar Pro. The company revealed this new offering amidst an impressive funding round that valued Perplexity at approximately $520 million.
Sonar’s base version offers a flat pricing structure and employs a lightweight model that provides twice as many citations compared to Sonar Pro. This version is particularly attractive for enterprises and developers seeking cost-effective solutions. Meanwhile, Sonar Pro, priced at $5 per 1,000 searches, also incurs additional costs of $5 for every 750,000 words inputted into the AI model and $15 for every 750,000 words generated by the model. Despite its higher cost, Sonar Pro delivers more detailed answers and excels at handling complex queries.
Integration with Zoom
Zoom has already integrated Sonar into its platform to power an AI assistant within its video conferencing service. This implementation enables Zoom’s AI chatbot to provide real-time answers sourced from web searches with citations, all without disrupting the user’s experience by keeping them within the video chat window.
“While most generative AI features today have answers informed only by training data, this limits their capabilities,”
— Perplexity
Perplexity’s AI search engine outshines leading models from Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic in terms of factual accuracy, as demonstrated by the SimpleQA benchmark. This superior performance highlights Sonar’s potential to transform how businesses utilize AI for search functionalities.
The company has structured its offerings so that customers can only subscribe to gain unlimited access to the AI search engine and select additional features. This subscription model aligns with Perplexity’s broader business strategy, which currently generates an annual recurring revenue between $5 million and $10 million.
Author’s Opinion
The introduction of Sonar by Perplexity represents a pivotal advancement in the AI search market, providing a cost-effective yet robust tool for developers and businesses. By offering a two-tiered product strategy, Perplexity ensures accessibility for varying budget constraints, potentially democratizing the use of advanced AI in search capabilities. As Sonar integrates into mainstream platforms like Zoom, it exemplifies the transformative potential of AI in enhancing user interactions and productivity. If Sonar continues to deliver on its promise of accuracy and utility, it could very well set a new standard for AI-driven search tools.
Featured image credit: LightRocket via Getty Images
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