Perplexity is the AI tool Google wishes Gemini could be

I’m an Android user and have been since version 1.5 of the OS. Over the past year or so, Google has switched its default assistant to its powerful AI solution, Gemini. For a while, I used Gemini on Android to get answers to my questions. I even made use of Gemini Live (which is quite impressive).

But recently, I’ve been defaulting to a different AI service, Perplexity. I’ve installed the Perplexity app on Android, Linux, and MacOS, and set it as the default search engine in my web browser. Although I prefer using local AI (such as the Ollama/Msty combination), there are times when I need more or something faster than a local AI can deliver. On top of that, my locally installed AI doesn’t have access to real-time data, so it can’t tell me what’s in the news today.

But why Perplexity over Gemini?

Also: How I made Perplexity AI the default search engine in my browser (and why you should too)

For starters, you can’t switch from Gemini to Perplexity as the Android default digital assistant, and I doubt that will ever be possible. You can, however, use Perplexity on your phone, desktop, and laptop as the default AI tool.

Let me explain why you might want to do that.

1. AI as search engine

For me, this is the biggest reason to switch to Perplexity. I’ve been using AI as a search engine for some time now. Why? The main reason is I find Google far less effective than it once was. When I’m doing research, I need answers fast and would rather not have to wade through sponsored sites or sites that contain so many ads that they render my browser unusable. 

One thing about Gemini is that you can certainly head to the Gemini website and use it, but you can’t set it as the default search engine in your web browser. On the other hand, you can do this with Perplexity, and that, for me, is a deal-maker.

2. Better, more accurate responses

After comparing both Gemini and Perplexity for a few weeks, I’ve found Perplexity not only gives better answers (with more description and context) but the answers are also more accurate. I’ve found Gemini to produce subtle inaccuracies fairly regularly, but I have yet to find fault in a Perplexity response. That’s not to say they aren’t there, but they’ve not been nearly as obvious as what I generally found with Gemini. I’m not saying that Gemini is always or often wrong, but in the comparison, Gemini delivered less accurate responses overall. On top of all this, the response detail in Perplexity is much higher than Gemini.

3. Better problem solving

One issue I’ve had with Gemini is that when you ask it to help you solve something, it tends to respond with simple bullet points. Yes, such lists make the responses easy to read, but they lack the depth of knowledge I require. That’s just me. Most people prefer quick bullet points so they can quickly scan them and be on their way. I want context. I want to know why a step is taken instead of just the step.

4. Follow up

One of my favorite features of Perplexity is the “Ask follow-up” option. I can ask it a question, and once it gives me an answer, I can type a follow-up question to continue the discussion. This feature makes it very easy to dig deeper and deeper into a subject. Those rabbit holes have often led me to some really fascinating information. 

Also: This app makes using Ollama local AI on MacOS devices so easy

This was made especially obvious when I was doing research for my latest novel. I asked about escape velocity, and it mentioned the speed of light. I then asked a follow-up question about the speed of light that wound up inspiring an important plot point. You could spend hours diving deeper and deeper into a subject with Perplexity.

5. References

Both AI tools add references to responses. The biggest difference is that Perplexity lists those sources at the top of their responses and, generally speaking, offers considerably more sources than Gemini. Gemini lists sources after the response is complete, and nearly every time, it didn’t list as many sources as Perplexity. 

The other nice thing about Perplexity is that it cites the sources in line. Hover over a citation, and a pop-up appears with the source link and a brief section of the text used. Gemini does this with small drop-downs for citations, but when you click the drop-down, you only get the source link and not the snippet.

Also: How to turn Ollama from a terminal tool into a browser-based AI with this free extension

The only caveat to using Perplexity over Gemini is that Gemini’s integration with other services is extensive, whereas Perplexity’s is limited. Even with that knock against Perplexity, I will continue to use it over Gemini… even on Android.