AI startup Perplexity is powering a new AI-based search engine on Truth Social, President Donald Trump’s social media platform. The feature, called Truth Search AI, is already live on the web version of Truth Social, with public beta testing for iOS and Android apps expected soon.
Trump Media said in a statement that Perplexity’s technology delivers direct and contextually accurate answers with transparent citations, aimed at significantly increasing the amount of information available to users. Truth Social will maintain control over which sources the AI is allowed to draw from, shaping the information it provides.
The platform is using Perplexity’s Sonar API, which can query the web for current and verified information and supports structured output so responses can be formatted to a user’s specifications. Even if certain websites block Perplexity’s crawlers, the API can still retrieve information through other means. Perplexity confirmed that Truth Social will have full control over the sources used, with no oversight from the AI provider.
Source Selection and Early Findings
Axios tested Truth Search AI by asking questions such as “What happened on January 6, 2021?” and “Why was Donald Trump impeached?” In the results, FoxNews.com was the most frequent or sole source cited, alongside outlets like FoxBusiness.com, The Washington Times, and The Epoch Times. By contrast, Perplexity’s public search engine cites a broader mix, including Wikipedia, NPR, YouTube, and Politico.
Truth Social said it plans to refine and expand the search feature based on user feedback, with further enhancements to follow. Perplexity executives highlighted the platform’s commitment to transparent citations, enabling users to verify and explore sources directly.
The launch of Truth Search AI comes shortly after Trump signed an executive order addressing what he described as “biased AI.” The order criticized concepts associated with diversity, equity, and inclusion, calling them destructive ideologies that could compromise the quality and accuracy of AI outputs. The debut also coincided with the addition of top AI companies, including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, to a federal list of approved vendors for civilian agency services.
Author’s Opinion
While AI-powered search can make information more accessible, controlling the sources it draws from risks creating a closed information loop. If Truth Search AI primarily cites outlets that share a similar political perspective, users may get answers that confirm existing beliefs rather than challenge them. In the long run, that could make the platform more of an echo chamber than a tool for balanced discovery.
Featured image credit: NPR
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