Perplexity Comet Assistant can now multitask across tabs — Here’s what it means

In a significant enhancement, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas unveiled an impressive update to the Comet Assistant on Thursday. This new functionality allows the AI to tackle intricate online tasks and operate seamlessly across multiple browser tabs, making it a more effective tool for users navigating the web. The update is currently being rolled out to all users, focusing on improving how the assistant manages daily online activities such as job searches, travel planning, and data entry. A recent blog post highlighted the standout feature of the new Comet: its ability to work across multiple tabs at once. This advancement enables it to extract data from one site and utilize it on another without requiring users to flip back and forth between pages. For example, Comet can now populate a spreadsheet with information sourced from various websites, eliminating the need for constant manual toggling. Perplexity reports that the updated Comet can now handle longer, multi-step tasks without interruption, showcasing a performance improvement of approximately 23% in internal tests compared to its predecessor. The assistant is now capable of executing tasks like searching for specific job listings on LinkedIn, comparing flight prices across different travel sites, or creating a Google Sheet for tracking attendance or expenses. Moreover, enhancements have been made to Comet's ability to interpret and navigate complex websites, allowing it to accurately understand a wider range of web pages and perform web-based actions more efficiently. With the latest update, users are granted increased control over what the Comet Assistant can access. Before executing any browser action—such as clicking a button or entering data—Comet now requests permission, enabling users to accept or decline the action. The assistant will remember these preferences throughout the task. With these advancements, Perplexity is redefining Comet as more than just a question-answering tool; it can now actively facilitate tasks on the web. The new version is crafted to help users complete online tasks more swiftly and with reduced manual effort, catering to both everyday chores and more comprehensive research tasks.