Perplexity Launches Autonomous AI
AI startup Perplexity has launched “Perplexity Computer,” a multi-model AI system designed to autonomously create and execute entire workflows. The system can handle complex tasks in research, software engineering, and content creation, marking a significant step beyond single-task AI assistants.
Founded in August 2022, Perplexity was created by Aravind Srinivas, Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, and Andy Konwinski, a team with experience from major tech players like OpenAI, Google, and Meta. CEO Aravind Srinivas previously held research positions at OpenAI, Google Brain, and DeepMind. The San Francisco-based startup has seen a meteoric rise in valuation. By April 2024, it was valued at over $1 billion, and by September 2025, that figure had soared to a reported $20 billion. The company has attracted high-profile investors including Jeff Bezos, Nvidia, and SoftBank Vision Fund 2. Perplexity Computer differentiates itself by acting as a multi-model orchestrator, unifying the capabilities of various specialized AIs. Instead of relying on a single model, it delegates subtasks to the most suitable AI, such as using Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.6 for core reasoning and Google's Gemini for in-depth research. The system currently integrates 19 different specialized models. This new system is designed to handle long-running and complex tasks asynchronously, from conducting market research to building and deploying software. Each task is executed in a secure, isolated cloud environment equipped with a browser, filesystem, and integrated tools. Access to Perplexity Computer is currently exclusive to subscribers of Perplexity Max, which costs $200 per month. The service operates on a credit-based system, with subscribers receiving a monthly allotment of 10,000 tokens to run their automated workflows.
