TL;DR – What You Need to Know in 30 Seconds

• Freemium Launch: Perplexity AI debuts “Deep Research” with a free tier, challenging pricey AI tools.
• Lightning-Fast: Gathers and summarizes data from dozens of sources in minutes, mimicking a human researcher.
• Strong Performance: Slightly trails OpenAI in some metrics but still outperforms many other AI models.
• Market Disruption: Major funding fuels a direct challenge to Google and OpenAI, despite ongoing legal issues.
• User-Driven Refinement: Encourages feedback to continuously improve accuracy, speed, and reliability.

Introducing the Perplexity Deep Research Tool

Well, folks, the AI research arms race just got a bit more interesting—and a lot more affordable. Perplexity AI has officially unveiled its new “Deep Research” tool, and it’s not just an incremental update. This is a full-on assault on giants like OpenAI and Google, all wrapped up in a lovely freemium bow.

Launched on 15 February 2025, Deep Research is designed to cut your time spent trawling the internet down to mere minutes. Whether you’re investigating market trends in finance, refining marketing campaigns, or just planning your dream holiday, Perplexity aims to do the legwork for you—dozens of searches, hundreds of sources, and a neat summary at the end. And best of all, it’s free for casual use, with a paid tier if you really want to ramp up your daily queries.

Key Features and Capabilities

One of the big selling points Perplexity emphasises is its iterative search and reasoning process, which is meant to mirror the thought process of a human researcher. Here’s the gist of what you get:

1. Expert-Level Analysis
   Tackles finance, marketing, technology, health, product research, travel planning, and more. Essentially, it’s like having a mini think tank at your disposal.
2. Automated Deep-Dive
   Performs dozens of individual searches, sifts through hundreds of online sources, and draws it all into a comprehensive report. So no more 30-tab chaos in your browser.
3. Lightning-Fast Turnaround
   Delivers results in 2–4 minutes (under three minutes in most cases). Competitors like OpenAI’s Deep Research take 5–30 minutes for complex queries.
4. Shareable Outputs
   Once you get your report, you can export it as a PDF or transform it into a Perplexity Page for easy sharing with colleagues or friends.
5. Citations for Transparency
   Deep Research includes references and citations to its sources, so you can cross-check, trust, or verify any points. Great for academic or professional work where you need that extra layer of credibility.
6. Iterative Refinement
   The system learns as it goes. It reads a chunk, decides what else it needs to look for, and continues to refine its approach until it’s satisfied it has a well-rounded view.

Pricing and Accessibility

According to Perplexity’s own website, the freemium model is turning heads. Here’s the breakdown:

• Free Tier:
  Limited to around 5 Deep Research queries per day. Perfect if you just need the occasional deep-dive or want to give it a whirl before upgrading.
• Pro Subscribers ($20/month):
  Access to 500 daily queries, a huge jump in usage allowance. That’s significantly undercutting some major players, like OpenAI’s $200/month plan.

In comparison to enterprise-level AI research tools (which can run up to $75,000 per month), Perplexity is practically handing out advanced AI research on a silver platter, at least from a cost perspective. The company’s strategy here seems to be a combination of “democratise AI research” and “force the big boys to rethink their pricing.”

Performance Benchmarks

Alright, so how does Deep Research stack up under the hood? Let’s get to the numbers:

• Humanity’s Last Exam:
  • Perplexity’s Deep Research: 21.1%
• • OpenAI’s Deep Research: 26.6%
• • Google’s Gemini Thinking: 6.2%
• • Grok-2: 3.8%
• • GPT-4o: 3.3%
• While Perplexity lags a bit behind OpenAI’s top-tier offering, it beats other well-known AI models by a fair margin.
• SimpleQA Benchmark:
  • Perplexity’s Deep Research: 93.9% accuracy
  That’s pretty darn good, though critics note Perplexity uses live internet data for answers, whereas some other models rely purely on their trained knowledge.

So, yes, it’s not absolutely top of the tree on some metrics, but it’s definitely competitive—and far ahead of many alternatives.

Market Impact and Competition

This move puts Perplexity squarely on a collision course with OpenAI and Google, who’ve been jockeying for position in the advanced AI research space. It’s worth noting:

• Company Growth:
  Perplexity was founded in 2022 by ex-OpenAI researcher Aravind Srinivas. Rapid expansions, plus a $500 million funding round last December, have given it a staggering $9 billion valuation. Investors include heavyweights like Jeff Bezos and Nvidia.
• Legal Hurdles:
  Perplexity is currently wrestling lawsuits from some media organisations over alleged unauthorised use of copyrighted articles. They’re seeking to mollify publishers with collaboration deals and revenue-sharing agreements, signing the likes of Time and Fortune.
• Competition:
  Google is well-established, and OpenAI has name-brand recognition plus GPT’s massive user base, but Perplexity’s “high-value, low-price” approach could disrupt the market if it continues to deliver on speed and research depth.

Challenges and Future Outlook

Despite the buzz, Perplexity’s Deep Research isn’t without its pitfalls:

1. Accuracy vs Speed
   While 21.1% on Humanity’s Last Exam is solid, it’s still below OpenAI’s 26.6%. Perplexity’s big claim is that it outdoes many rivals on speed. But for critical, expert-level tasks, some users may still lean towards the highest possible accuracy.
2. Ethical Concerns
   Like all AI research tools, there are worries about diminishing human critical thinking and potential reliance on “fast” answers over “deeply validated” insights. That’s an industry-wide conversation that won’t end soon.
3. Ongoing Lawsuits
   The legal back-and-forth with major media outlets is no small matter. To remain fully legit (and maintain public trust), Perplexity will likely have to sign more licensing deals or refine how it sources content.
4. User Trust and Adoption
   Breaking into a space dominated by OpenAI and Google is no walk in the park. Even if their product is fantastic, Perplexity needs to keep scaling its user base while handling the stress test that a wave of new users can bring.

Despite these challenges, Perplexity is forging ahead with expansions to iOS, Android, and Mac platforms, as well as continued refinement of its models. If they strike the right balance between accessibility, accuracy, and cost, there’s a good chance they can secure a sizeable share of the AI research pie.

Why Speed and Cost Matter in AI Research

The AI research sphere is going through a bit of a metamorphosis: big enterprise solutions can cost tens of thousands per month, yet more and more small businesses, freelancers, and academics also want access to advanced AI. By offering a freemium tier that performs at a near-competitive level with top-tier solutions, Perplexity is effectively lowering the barrier to entry for advanced research.

And speed? If you can get a comprehensive, properly cited report in 3 minutes rather than 30, that’s a massive productivity win. For time-critical fields like finance, health, or real-time marketing campaigns, it can be the difference between making the right call or missing an opportunity.

Potential Applications Across Industries

Perplexity is keen to emphasize how Deep Research can handle multiple verticals:

• Finance: Collating market data, generating forecasts, and providing real-time financial analysis.
• Marketing: Performing competitor analysis, consumer behavior insights, and strategic planning.
• Technology: Deep dives into emerging tech trends, algorithmic benchmarks, and scoping out R&D projects.
• Health: Acting as a personal consultant for health and wellness research (with obvious caveats that it’s not a medical professional!).
• Travel Planning: From recommending itineraries to budgeting and flight/hotel comparisons.
• Product Research: Assessing product features, user sentiment, and market viability.

Essentially, if you need to wade through lots of data quickly, Deep Research might be your new best mate.

Accuracy, Trust, and User Feedback

Ensuring Accuracy

How does Perplexity aim to keep the nonsense and hallucinations to a minimum? They rely on a variety of strategies:

1. Searching Hundreds of Sources
   It’s all about cross-referencing. If 90% of sources say “X,” the final answer probably leans that way.
2. Trust-Based Ranking
   A PageRank-esque system that looks at source credibility, giving more weight to, say, reputable news outlets over random forums.
3. Ongoing User Feedback
   Perhaps the most crucial: they allow users to flag dodgy info or provide improvements, using that data to retrain and refine the model.

Feedback Loop

Perplexity encourages a user-driven improvement cycle. Types of feedback they actively seek:

• Accuracy Assessment: Point out any wrong or outdated info.
• Source Quality: Let them know if a chosen source is questionable or irrelevant.
• Comprehensive Coverage: Tell them if the final report missed a critical subtopic.
• User Experience: Interface or design tweaks that could smooth out the workflow.
• Domain-Specific Nuances: For fields like finance or health, domain experts can highlight deeper complexities to refine the AI’s output.

This iterative approach helps Perplexity calibrate its models over time, building a more reliable system that better meets user expectations.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it—Perplexity’s Deep Research is here, and it’s looking to shake up the AI research market by delivering swift, thorough, and fairly accurate results without the punishing subscription fees of some competitors. While it may not quite surpass OpenAI’s top-tier solution in raw accuracy, it’s coming close enough for most everyday use cases—and, in some respects, it’s leaving everyone else in the dust.

The company’s growth, ambitious partnerships, and willingness to face legal and ethical questions head-on show that Perplexity is more than a flash in the pan. If you’re in finance, marketing, or tech, or simply a curious researcher wanting a user-friendly, budget-friendly AI tool, you might want to take Deep Research for a spin. It’s free, after all, so why not?

One thing’s for sure: with market leaders being nudged by smaller but nimble players like Perplexity, the AI research landscape will only get more interesting—and more competitive. Watch this space.

What do YOU think?

Will Perplexity’s freemium ‘Deep Research’ tool be the breakthrough that finally topples AI giants like OpenAI and Google, or is this just a temporary shake-up in an ever-evolving battlefield? Let us know in the comments below.

You may also like:

• Perplexity Assistant: The New AI Contender Taking on ChatGPT and Gemini
• Perplexity Introduces Pages: The Newest AI Article Generator
• Can Singtel’s Free Access to Perplexity Pro Redefine AI Search?
• Or try out Perplexity AI for free by tapping here.

Hello, lovely readers! If you’ve ever dreamt of creating lively, imaginative videos straight from simple text prompts, then Sora AI is about to become your new best friend. Developed by OpenAI, the Sora AI text-to-video generator lets you transform words into dynamic video content. But before you dive in, there are a few tricks of the trade that’ll help you get the most out of this cutting-edge tool.

---

Table of Contents

1. What Is Sora AI?
2. Getting Started with Sora AI
3. Crafting Effective Prompts
4. Advanced Features of Sora AI
5. Limitations of Sora AI
6. Key Differences: Original Sora vs. Sora Turbo
7. Incorporating Personal Assets
8. General Guidelines for All Prompts
9. Category-Specific Tips
10. Prompt Refinement Checklist
11. Real-World Applications of Sora AI
12. Conclusion & Next Steps

---

What Is Sora AI?

Picture this: a magical AI tool that can generate videos from simple text descriptions, courtesy of OpenAI. Much like text-to-image generators (e.g., DALL·E or MidJourney), Sora AI uses a diffusion model to take your prompt—something like “A cat playing the piano on a moonlit rooftop”—and transform it into a short video clip.

• Creative Storytelling: Sora excels at conjuring cinematic or whimsical visuals.
• Cinematic Effects: You can try out film noir, 3D animation, or even a painterly vibe.
• Animation of Still Images: Animate a static photo (say, your favourite landmark) and watch it come to life!

Do keep in mind that Sora does have its quirks:

• Human Imagery Restrictions: They’re quite cautious about privacy and ethics.
• Occasional Inconsistencies: Some videos end up looking a bit wonky—think odd proportions or peculiar motion.

---

Getting Started with Sora AI

1. Accessing Sora

1. Head over to Sora’s official website and sign in with your OpenAI login.
2. If you’re in a region where Sora’s not yet available, a VPN might come in handy.
3. Choose your plan: free or paid subscription. Premium users enjoy higher resolutions and longer clips.

2. Familiarising Yourself with the Interface

• Prompting Window: The space where you type your imaginative descriptions.
• Storyboard: A timeline-like tool for building multi-scene videos.
• Blend Editor: Lets you merge and transition between multiple clips.
• Remix Tool: Tweak or reinterpret older videos with fresh prompts.

3. Setting Up Video Parameters

• Aspect Ratio: 16:9 for widescreen, 1:1 for social media squares—take your pick!
• Resolution: Going for 1080p uses more credits but looks crisp.
• Video Length: Some plans allow up to 60 seconds.

---

Crafting Effective Prompts

A brilliant video is only as good as the prompt you feed Sora. Here’s what works:

1. Use Clear and Concise Language
   • Avoid baffling jargon.
   • Example: “A futuristic cityscape at night with glowing neon signs, flying cars, and a robotic figure on a rooftop.”

1. Incorporate Visual Styles
   • You can say “watercolour,” “stop motion,” “film noir”—Sora will adapt.
   • Example: “A black-and-white film noir scene of a detective under a flickering streetlight in the pouring rain.”

1. Add Camera Techniques
   • Want slow motion or a panoramic sweep? Just mention it.
   • Example: “A slow-motion close-up of a flower blooming in a sunny meadow.”

• Set the Mood
  • Describe lighting, weather, and emotional vibes to guide the model.
  • Example: “A cosy living room at dusk, with warm lighting and light rain tapping on the window.”

---

---

Advanced Features of Sora AI

Sora AI comes packed with a few extra goodies:

1. Storyboard Tool
   • Perfect for plotting a mini-film. Arrange scenes before generating.
2. Blend Editor
   • Seamlessly merge multiple video segments.
3. Remix Existing Videos
   • Revisit or alter older clips with new prompts or styles.
4. Looping Content
   • Create endless loops for social media or eye-catching GIFs.
5. Image-to-Video Conversion
   • Turn static images into snazzy animated clips.
6. Video Extension
   • Add extra frames to lengthen an existing clip.
7. Text-, Image-, and Video-to-Video Inputs (Sora Turbo)
   • More ways to feed Sora your creative ideas.
8. Remix, Re-Cut, and Blend Tools
   • Remix: Swap or update elements in an already-generated clip.
   • Re-Cut: Fine-tune specific parts of the video.
   • Blend: Melt different objects or scenes together for unique transitions.

---

Limitations of Sora AI

Like any AI tool, Sora isn’t perfect. Here are the main caveats:

1. Physical Accuracy
   • Expect the occasional floating chair or bizarre object movement.
2. Continuity and Object Permanence
   • Longer sequences can sometimes have items popping in and out randomly.
3. Video Duration Caps
   • Even if you pay for Pro, you might be limited to under 60 seconds.
4. Resolution Constraints
   • 1080p is your limit for now.
5. Performance and Queue Times
   • At peak hours, you may find yourself twiddling your thumbs while Sora processes.
6. Ethical & Moderation Limits
   • You’ll be stopped if you try to generate something too controversial or featuring humans.
7. Lack of Fine-Grained Control
   • Beyond your text prompt, micromanaging details is tricky.

---

Key Differences: Original Sora vs. Sora Turbo

There’s the original Sora and the shiny upgraded version, Sora Turbo. Here’s a quick rundown:

1. Speed and Efficiency
   • Sora Turbo is a proper sprinter, generating multiple clips at once.
2. Video Quality and Duration
   • Original Sora could handle up to 1 minute, whereas Turbo caps each clip at about 20 seconds (though you can merge them later).
3. New Features and Customisation
   • Tools like Remix, Re-Cut, Loop, and a fancier Storyboard.
4. Input Methods
   • Turbo accepts text, images, and even video-to-video prompts.
5. Accessibility
   • Both are available if you’re on OpenAI Plus or Pro, but usage limits differ.

---

Incorporating Personal Assets

Want to insert your own pictures or short clips? No problem:

1. Media Upload
   • Upload images or mini videos by clicking the “+” or “Upload” button.
2. Customisation
   • Blend your media with AI-generated visuals, or add transitions and visual effects.
3. Privacy Settings
   • If you don’t fancy sharing your personal content, just disable “Publish to Explore”.

---

General Guidelines for All Prompts

1. Brevity: Keep it under 120 words—short and sweet!
2. Specificity: Focus on one or two main ideas.
3. Imagery: Paint a clear mental picture for the AI.
4. Avoid Sensitive Content: Don’t poke the moderation bear.
5. Build Complexity Slowly: If you want something intricate, iterate step by step.

---

Category-Specific Tips

1. Sequence Prompts
   • Works: Clear transitions or progressions (e.g., “A knight travelling across a desert, discovering a hidden oasis”).

1. Doesn’t Work: Muddled, overly abstract sequences.
2. Example: “An epic duel between a Balrog and a Paladin Platypus in a desert world.”

1. Human-Focused Prompts
   • Works: Humorous or relatable actions (e.g., “A mime crossing a marathon finish line”).

1. Doesn’t Work: Anything too philosophical or jam-packed with details.
2. Example: “A man strolling through a snowstorm, wearing a helmet made of raw meat.”

1. Animal-Focused Prompts
   • Works: Fun, vibrant scenarios (e.g., “Cats dressed as wizards facing camera and casting spells”).

1. Doesn’t Work: Animals performing too many abstract or contradictory actions at once.
2. Example: “A sabre-toothed tiger padding along a glowing riverbank in a prehistoric forest.”

1. Figure-Focused Prompts
   • Works: Distinctive, stylised scenes (e.g., “A weathered robot scavenging in an abandoned city”).

1. Doesn’t Work: Mashing too many cultural icons into a single prompt.
2. Example: “A superhero cameo reminiscent of anime, delivering a massive punch that shakes the earth.”

1. Location-Focused Prompts
   • Works: Captivating environmental descriptions (e.g., “Drone footage of ancient tribes on a mountain at sunset”).

1. Doesn’t Work: Overdoing the details so that the setting becomes cluttered.
2. Example: “A neon-drenched cityscape welcoming the year 2078, fireworks included.”

---

---

Prompt Refinement Checklist

1. Clarity: Is your description straightforward and easy to follow?
2. Engagement: Does your prompt conjure a strong mental image or storyline?
3. Focus: Avoid cramming 10 different big ideas into one prompt.
4. Tone: Pick a vibe—playful, cinematic, dramatic—and stick to it.
5. Content Sensitivity: Steer clear of copyrighted figures or explicit subject matter.

---

Real-World Applications of Sora AI

• Social Media: Short, snappy clips for Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube Shorts.
• Storytelling: Quick teasers or imaginative sketches for your next big idea.
• Education: Bring tutorials or lessons to life with short explainers.
• Marketing: Spice up ad campaigns with unique, AI-generated flair.

---

Conclusion & Next Steps

All in all, Sora AI is a splendid tool for spinning text into visual gold—especially if you love creative, short-form storytelling. It’s not flawless, mind you: longer or more complex prompts can trip it up. But as a starting point for playful, cinematic, or downright quirky videos, it’s in a league of its own.

For a more professional setting—like detailed brand adverts or longer educational videos—Sora might need a bit more polish to handle intricacy. Still, it’s well worth a try if you’re eager to push the boundaries of AI-generated content.

Happy creating, folks!

Disclaimer: This guide blends community wisdom and publicly available resources. Use at your own discretion, and have fun exploring the wild world of Sora AI!

---

You may also like:

• What Is Sora AI?
• Kling: A Chinese AI Video Model Outshining Sora
• You can also access Sora AI by tapping here (paid for service, not available in all countries yet)

TL;DR – What You Need to Know in 30 Seconds

• Google is internally testing a new “AI Mode” in Search, powered by a custom version of Gemini 2.0.
• This new mode is aimed at more open-ended, exploratory queries like advice and product comparisons.
• The user interface is still in its early stages but features a conversational layout with AI-generated answers.
• Currently only tested by Google employees in the US, with a possible launch as early as this year.
• It points towards a more interactive, voice-friendly Search experience for users worldwide.

Google’s New AI Search Mode—What Do We Know Already?

Today, we’ve got a fascinating look at Google’s latest internal experiment with Search: a brand-new “AI Mode.” Don’t worry, it’s not a corny sci-fi flick—it’s Google’s first big step towards taking its already impressive Search capabilities to new heights.

If you’ve been following Google’s AI journey, you’ll know it’s been experimenting like mad lately. The search giant is clearly keen to outdo itself, especially given the fierce competition in the AI space. Let’s dive into this new “AI Mode,” see what it’s all about, and have a good old natter about why it might just change the way we find and digest information.

A Brief Overview

• What is AI Mode?
  It’s a newly tested feature in Google Search, powered by a custom version of Gemini 2.0, designed to handle open-ended and exploratory queries more effectively. Rather than giving you a list of links, it provides breakdowns of information plus prompts to dig deeper.
• Why now?
  It’s Google’s push to see if there’s a demand for a more conversational, AI-driven approach. Traditional Search does the job fine for most queries, but those bigger “advice” or “comparison” style questions haven’t always been served as well.
• What’s in it for you?
  You can ask something like, “How many boxes of pasta do I need for a family party?” or “Which jacket material is best for cold, rainy winters in Asia?” and you’ll get an overview that’s more helpful than a standard list of links.

Powered by Gemini 2.0

We’ve heard loads of chatter about Google’s Gemini recently. It’s a powerful large language model that’s meant to be a big leap forward from previous AI systems. This “custom version” in AI Mode apparently brings advanced reasoning and thinking capabilities directly into your search bar. While that might sound like jargon to some, the bottom line is it should be more accurate and context-aware when dealing with follow-up questions.

An Early Look at the Interface

At the moment, a small group of Google employees in the US are testing this new interface. It’s a bit of a hybrid between the standard Search page and a chatbot. You’ll still see the query at the top, but instead of 10 blue links, you get a more elaborate AI-driven response. Meanwhile, there’s a card on the right (or somewhere in that ballpark) with links if you want to dive deeper.

Although the design is in its early stages, it’s clearly part of Google’s broader plan to offer a more interactive and informative search experience. And for all the mobile fans out there, yes—it’s designed to work on your phone, with voice input on Android and iOS. Handy if you’re on the go!

Why This Matters

So, why should you care? Whether you’re a business owner in Singapore researching the best marketing strategies, a student in Seoul comparing study-abroad programmes, or simply a curious netizen in Bangkok looking for aquascaping supplies, the new AI Mode could make your life a lot easier. Instead of sifting through link after link, you can get structured info right away, plus relevant links all in one place. It’s a bit like having your own dedicated research assistant.

When Can We Try Google’s Exploratory Search?

Well, at the moment, only Googlers in the US have access. Google CEO Sundar Pichai hinted that 2025 will be “one of the biggest years for Search innovation yet,” so we can’t guarantee an exact date, but it’s possible we’ll see a broader roll-out sometime this year. Keep an eye on AIinASIA for further updates, as we’ll keep you posted the second we get word.

Final Thoughts on Open-ended Queries

From classic web-search to voice-search and now AI-driven results, Google is clearly on a mission to streamline how we discover and digest information. This new AI Mode, powered by Gemini 2.0, appears to be a significant step forward in making Search even more conversational and context-aware.

For those of us in Asia, this can’t come soon enough. Imagine exploring local cuisines, planning trips, or learning new skills with AI Mode’s helpful breakdowns at your fingertips. The future of Search looks just a little bit brighter—and a lot more AI-driven.

That’s all for now, folks. Thanks for stopping by AIinASIA! As always, don’t forget to drop your thoughts below. We’d love to hear if you’re excited for Google’s new AI Mode, or if you’re a bit sceptical about AI chatbots changing the way we search.

Stay updated with AIinASIA for the latest on Google’s AI developments and everything else that’s hot in the world of artificial intelligence. If you liked this piece, do give it a share—and if you didn’t, share it anyway to let your mates know what’s coming next in the AI realm!

You may also like:

• ChatGPT Voice Mode: The Future of AI Interaction is Here!
• Google’s AI Overviews: A New Era of Information Theft?
• Try Google Gemini for free by tapping here.