Perplexity Launches AI 'Computer' to Automate Workflows
AI search company Perplexity has launched "Computer," a new multi-model AI system. The platform is designed to autonomously create and execute complex business workflows by integrating text, code, and data, pushing further into the AI-driven productivity space.
The "Computer" platform operates by breaking down a user's stated goal into smaller tasks and sub-tasks. It then assigns these individual jobs to a team of specialized AI models, orchestrating their work to produce a final result like a report or a spreadsheet. This allows the system to run complex workflows that can last for hours or even months without direct user management. Perplexity's system is designed to be "model-agnostic," leveraging a suite of different AI from various developers. For its core reasoning engine, it uses Opus 4.6, while delegating other tasks to models like Gemini for in-depth research, Veo 3.1 for video, Grok for speed-focused queries, and ChatGPT 5.2 for tasks requiring long-context recall. Each task assigned by "Computer" runs in its own secure, isolated cloud environment. This sandboxed approach gives the sub-agents access to a filesystem, a browser, and other integrated tools without posing a security risk to a user's local computer or personal data. The project is spearheaded by Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas, who co-founded the company in 2022 after research roles at OpenAI, Google, and DeepMind. Born in Chennai, India, the 31-year-old Srinivas has seen his net worth rise to an estimated Rs 21,190 crore, making him India's youngest billionaire. Perplexity has seen a dramatic increase in valuation, reaching $20 billion by September 2025 after multiple funding rounds. The company has attracted significant investment from major players including Jeff Bezos, Nvidia, and Accel. This move into agentic, autonomous AI systems pits Perplexity against open-source alternatives like OpenClaw and offerings from major competitors such as OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft. Perplexity's "Computer" is currently available to subscribers of its $200-per-month "Max" plan.
