A beginner’s guide to using Perplexity AI

Perplexity AI is a powerful tool for retrieving accurate and real-time information. Here it is How to use Perplexity AI for beginners.

What is Perplexity AI?

Perplexity AI is an advanced conversational AI platform that provides instant, trustworthy answers and insights. Powered by modern language models, it simplifies information retrieval and helps you extract meaningful insights.

When should I use Perplexity AI?

• Answer the question: From basic information to tough questions, users get answers from the most up-to-date sources. Generate codes, article summaries or emails right in this AI.
• Satisfy your curiosity: Perplexity’s research, search, and lab modes combine in-depth analysis, rapid retrieval, and innovative tools to provide expert answers and results for any task.
• Delegate work: Let your browser do the work for you with Comet, a new browser from Perplexity.
• Interact with your data: Ask questions about your files and search the web, all right in this AI tool. You will get an overview of the entire project in a single space.

How to use Perplexity AI

Perplexity is available on the web, as a mobile app (iOS & Android) and a desktop app (macOS & Windows).

Using Perplexity AI is simple, as the platform’s intuitive interface makes it easy for beginners to use the service.

Sign up (Optional)

Visit the Perplexity AI website and create an account. While registration is not required, having an account allows Perplexity to personalize responses based on your interests.

Navigation

Perplexity’s interface is extremely intuitive. If you have used ChatGPT or similar services, you will find this interface familiar.

The interface is divided into three main parts:

• Navigation bar (Top left): Contains essential navigation buttons including:
  • Home – Main search interface
  • Explore – Explore trending topics and popular searches
  • Space – Collaborative workspace for teams
  • Library – Access your search history
  • New topic – Start a new conversation
• Settings panel (Bottom left): Manage your account preferences with:
  • Account upgrade options
  • Switch profile (Personal mode/Incognito)
  • Profile and application settings
• Main search area (Middle): The main workspace includes:
  • Search input box for queries
  • Ability to attach files
  • Switch focus mode
  • Professional looking status indicator
  • Show real-time feedback

Start asking questions

Just enter your query in the search box, and Perplexity will generate accurate, evidence-based answers within seconds.

Outstanding features of Perplexity AI

Contextual memory storage

Perplexity remembers the conversation history, allowing you to continue the conversation naturally. To use this feature, you need to ask a follow-up question about the previously asked topic.

For example, you might start with a question about programming principles. Then let’s continue with more specific questions:

Focus mode

Perplexity’s search focus feature allows you to narrow your search down to specific content sources such as academic articles, social networks, videos, etc. When you select focus mode, Perplexity will use only relevant references from those sources to answer your query.

By default, Perplexity uses centralized web search mode, which searches the entire internet. To change the focus mode, simply click the “Focus” button in the search interface and choose the mode that best suits your research needs.

Perplexity AI has 6 focus modes:

• Web search mode: Default mode searches the entire internet to provide answers to your queries.
• Academic search mode: Leverages academic databases and scholarly resources to provide research-based answers from peer-reviewed articles, scientific journals, and scholarly publications.
• Social search mode: Analyze content from social media platforms, online forums, and discussion boards to capture real-time discussions, trends, and public opinion.
• Video search mode: Search and analyze content from video platforms like YouTube, providing detailed summaries, key points, and relevant timestamps.
• Article search mode: A specialized mode optimized for creative and technical writing tasks, including content creation, programming, and brainstorming.
• Math Search Mode: Powered by Wolfram Alpha, this mode specializes in mathematical calculations, data analysis, and problem solving.

Collaboration space

Perplexity AI provides a collaborative workspace called “Spaces” Helps increase team productivity. With Spacesyou can:

• Invite team members to collaborate on common projects
• Organize conversations into topic-specific streams
• Upload and share project specific files
• Create custom instructions that apply to all flows in the space

These features make Spaces especially useful for group research projects and collaborative work. The ability to consolidate web search results, uploaded files, and shared links in one place ensures all team members have access to the same information and can contribute effectively to group discussions.

To use “Spaces”, you need to click the “Spaces” tab on the navigation bar:

Strengths and weaknesses of Perplexity AI

Strengths of Perplexity AI

Strengths	Describe
The answer is direct and concise	Provides instant responses, often saving more time than traditional search engines.
Citations and references	Especially useful for students and researchers, providing sources to substantiate arguments.
Diverse AI models	Users can choose different models to fine-tune their results.
Good for programming and math.	Integration with WolframAlpha enhances the ability to handle mathematical queries and programming-related tasks.
Ability to ask follow-up questions	Users appreciate the ability to ask clarifying questions to refine search results.

Weaknesses of Perplexity AI

Weakness	Describe
Response quality is inconsistent	Users reported fluctuations in accuracy and relevance.
Limited web search depth	Recent updates have reportedly limited Perplexity’s search scope.
Superficial explanation	Especially useful for little-known research papers and complex scientific topics.
Sometimes there are errors	AI-generated answers are not always reliable and need to be verified.
Concerns about overreliance	Some users believe that, although Perplexity is useful, it should not be a substitute for thorough independent research.

Tips for getting the most out of Perplexity AI

• Using Pro Search: As a free user, you get 3 professional searches per day for in-depth research.
• Attach file: You can attach files using the “Attach” button. This is useful when you need to extract information from locally stored files.
• Explore related searches: Take advantage of the related searches at the bottom of each answer to dig deeper into topics.
• Switch focus mode: Choose the appropriate focus mode (e.g. Academic for research, Math for equations) to tailor your search to your specific context. For general queries, use “Web” focused mode.
• Use incognito mode: For occasional conversations, use incognito mode. Incognito mode doesn’t save your conversations and helps keep the Perplexity interface clean.