How to Use Perplexity for AI Research

Research has always been about asking the right questions. But in a world where information is scattered across countless sources, finding accurate, up-to-date answers can feel overwhelming.

Enter Perplexity AI—an AI search engine designed to make research faster and more intuitive.

Unlike traditional search engines, Perplexity doesn't just provide search results—it helps you better understand your topic by pulling insights from multiple sources and presenting them in a structured format. Perplexity makes research more intuitive and precise, whether you're exploring the latest AI models, analyzing trends, or refining search queries.

This guide will walk you through what Perplexity AI is, how it compares to other research tools, and a step-by-step approach to using it for AI research. Plus, if you rely on meeting transcripts for your work, we’ll show you how to integrate them into your research workflow using Perplexity.

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What is Perplexity?

Perplexity is an AI-powered search engine that delivers direct answers instead of just listing links. It summarizes and cites information from multiple sources to make research faster and more accurate.

Key Features of Perplexity AI

• Real-Time Search & Source Citations
  • Retrieves up-to-date answers from across the web.
  • Provides verified sources ideal for fact-checking.
• Context-Aware AI Models
  • Understands user intent to refine search queries.
  • It offers a guided AI search experience that adapts to different research needs.
• Freemium Access & Perplexity Pro
• Free Version - Uses a custom AI model for web browsing.
• Perplexity Pro - Unlocks GPT-4, Claude 3.5, and Gemini for deeper insights and improved search results.
• Advanced Research Tools
• Focus Modes - Tailor searches for specific categories like Academic, Business, and Writing.
• Pro Search - Runs multiple searches simultaneously for a more comprehensive search experience.
• File Uploads - Allows users to upload PDFs and documents for AI-powered analysis.
• Pages - Enables users to create structured, research-based web pages and reports.

With its mix of guided AI search and interactive features, Perplexity makes research more structured and insightful.

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How is Perplexity Different from Other AI Research Tools?

AI research tools vary in how they retrieve, process, and present information. While ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude offer valuable AI-powered assistance, Perplexity AI takes a different approach by focusing on real-time search results with source citations. Here’s how they compare:

ChatGPT – AI-Powered Content Generation and Conversations

ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is best known for conversational AI, content creation, and coding assistance. Based on pre-trained data, it generates human-like text and is useful for brainstorming, summarization, and writing tasks.

Key Strengths:

• Excels at answering general knowledge questions, drafting content, and assisting with coding.
• Supports GPT-4 Turbo which offers better reasoning and longer context windows.
• Works well for chatbot interactions and AI-driven customer support.

Limitations:

• While it has real-time browsing, it does not automatically prioritize cited sources, making fact-checking necessary.
• No automatic citations, which can make it less reliable for research that requires verifiable sources.
• Browsing is limited compared to Perplexity’s AI-powered search engine, which is specifically designed to provide structured search results with direct citations.

Gemini – Multimodal AI with Google Integration

Google’s Gemini is an advanced AI model designed for text, image, audio, and video processing. It integrates seamlessly with Google’s ecosystem and is perfect for users who frequently use Google Search, YouTube, and Google Docs.

Key Strengths:

• Features multimodal AI, allowing it to process text, images, audio, and video in a single query.
• Supports real-time web browsing and offers fresher search data than ChatGPT.
• Works well for users deeply integrated into the Google Workspace ecosystem.

Limitations:

• Browsing relies heavily on Google’s search platform, which may favor Google-indexed sources over independent sites.
• Doesn’t emphasize source citations, meaning users still need to verify information manually.
• Lacks a structured guided AI search experience, which Perplexity AI offers for more targeted research queries.

Claude – Ethical AI for Long-Form Understanding

Claude, created by Anthropic, prioritizes safe and reliable AI interactions. It specializes in handling long-form content, analyzing documents, and answering complex questions with a focus on ethical AI development.

Key Strengths:

• Processes large amounts of text efficiently. This makes it ideal for summarizing and analyzing long-form documents.
• Emphasizes safety and alignment to reduce the risk of misinformation or bias.
• Supports Claude 3 models, which are known for strong reasoning and context understanding.

Limitations:

• While it can analyze documents, it doesn’t integrate with an AI-powered search engine like Perplexity.
• Lacks Focus Modes for refining search queries based on research needs.

Perplexity AI – AI-Powered Search with Real-Time Answers

Perplexity retrieves real-time search results with source citations. Instead of relying on pre-trained models alone, it actively searches the web and provides verifiable, up-to-date answers.

Key Features That Set It Apart:

• Real-Time Information Retrieval – Unlike ChatGPT and Claude, Perplexity pulls data from the web for fact-based research.
• Guided AI Search – Users can refine queries with Focus Modes (Academic, Business, Writing, etc.) to tailor their research.
• Pro Search – A premium feature that conducts multiple concurrent searches, offering deeper insights beyond standard results.
• Source Citations – Instead of AI-generated responses without validation, Perplexity cites its sources, making it ideal for research-heavy tasks.
• File Uploads – Users can upload PDFs, transcripts, and reports for Perplexity to extract key insights and analyze documents.

Which Tool Should You Use?

• Use ChatGPT if you need content generation, brainstorming, or general-purpose AI assistance.
• Use Gemini if you rely on Google-integrated AI for multimodal search and real-time insights.
• Use Claude if you need ethical AI, document analysis, or long-form reasoning.
• Use Perplexity AI if you need accurate, source-backed research with real-time access to verified search results.

For AI research that requires fact-checking, citations, and deep search insights, Perplexity AI stands out as the best AI search platform for finding reliable, up-to-date answers.

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How to Use Perplexity for AI Research

Let’s explore how to use Perplexity AI for AI research, using product pricing research as an example.

Define Your Research Goals

Go to Perplexity.ai or download Perplexity mobile for iOS or Android. Start by identifying what you need to learn. Are you analyzing competitor pricing strategies, understanding customer willingness to pay, or researching cost trends in AI tools?

For example, if you're exploring subscription-based AI tools, your goal might be to compare pricing models and find common factors influencing pricing decisions.

Input Clear Search Queries

Crafting precise search queries ensures that Perplexity provides relevant search results with cited sources.

Example Queries for Pricing Research:

• “What are the most common pricing models for AI-powered SaaS tools?”
• “How do companies determine the price of AI automation software?”
• “What are the biggest factors affecting AI software pricing?”

Example Queries for Market Trends:

• “How has the cost of AI-powered productivity tools changed in 2024?”
• “What pricing strategies do top AI SaaS companies use?”
• “What are customer expectations for AI tool pricing?”

Validate Insights with Source Citations

Since Perplexity provides citations for each response, it’s important to verify search results by clicking on the sources. This ensures that insights on pricing trends and customer expectations come from credible data.

Use Advanced Perplexity Features

To make your research more detailed, use Perplexity’s advanced features:

• Focus Modes – Filter searches by different categories.
• Pro Search – Perform deep research by pulling information from multiple sources.
• File Uploads – Upload market reports or customer surveys for analysis.

Expand Research with Follow-Up Queries

Refining your search queries helps uncover additional insights.

Example Follow-Ups:

• “What are the pros and cons of freemium vs. tiered pricing in AI tools?”
• “What factors influence customer willingness to pay for AI-powered software?”

By structuring your research process, verifying sources, and asking strategic follow-up questions, Perplexity AI can help you develop a deeper understanding of pricing trends, competitor strategies, and customer expectations in the AI industry.

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How to Use Tactiq to Help You With AI Research

While Perplexity AI is great for analyzing text-based data, it doesn’t handle transcription. If your research involves meeting discussions, expert interviews, or brainstorming sessions, you’ll need a way to convert those conversations into text before using Perplexity.

That’s where Tactiq comes in.

Tactiq is an AI-powered transcription tool that works with Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams to capture real-time meeting transcripts. It also goes beyond basic transcription by offering AI workflows that help structure and automate research tasks.

How Tactiq Supports AI Research

• Capture and Transcribe Meetings – Get an accurate audio transcript of research discussions, team meetings, or expert interviews.
• AI-Powered Summaries – Use AI meeting assistant features to extract action items, key themes, and discussion highlights.
• Automate Research Workflows – Set up AI workflows for meetings to categorize insights, extract key data, and organize findings automatically.
• Export Transcripts for Perplexity – Upload your meeting transcript into Perplexity for deeper analysis, fact-checking, and trend identification.

By combining Tactiq’s AI transcription with Perplexity’s search capabilities, you can automate research workflows to easily turn spoken insights into structured, actionable data. Download the free Tactiq Chrome Extension today!

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FAQs

What is Perplexity Search?

Perplexity Search is an AI-powered search engine that delivers up-to-date answers with source citations instead of just listing links. It uses AI models to refine search queries, making research faster and more accurate.

How is Perplexity different from ChatGPT?

Unlike ChatGPT, which generates responses based on pre-trained data, Perplexity AI pulls real-time search results from the web and provides citations. This makes it more suitable for fact-based research rather than conversational AI responses.

Is Perplexity free to use?

Yes, Perplexity offers a free app with standard AI search capabilities. However, Perplexity Pro provides access to advanced AI models, Pro Search, and additional features for deeper research insights.

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Wrapping Up

AI research is more effective with tools that provide accurate, up-to-date answers. Perplexity offers a guided AI search experience, retrieving real-time search results with verified citations.

For researchers who rely on meetings and discussions, Tactiq complements Perplexity by transcribing meetings, generating AI-powered summaries, and automating workflows.

By using Perplexity AI for research and Tactiq for transcription, researchers can analyze data faster, refine insights, and make informed decisions with structured, citation-backed information.