Perplexity CEO tells GWN one metric will determine who wins the AI race

The companies that can provide the most economic value from the power their AI uses will ultimately command the highest valuations, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas told GWN on Wednesday.

Perplexity is stepping up its focus on agentic AI, a term that refers to AI systems capable of handling more complex tasks beyond simple queries. In February, the company announced Perplexity Computer, an agent it says can execute complex tasks over long periods of time.

On Wednesday, Perplexity said that Computer will be available on Microsoft’s Windows operating system, enabling the AI to connect to apps like Word and Outlook, as well as files on a user’s device.

Perplexity faces increasing competition as rivals like OpenAI, Anthropic and Google have ramped up their focus on AI agents.

Perplexity, which was last reportedly valued at $20 billion, trails behind Anthropic and OpenAI, whose valuations have climbed to nearly $1 trillion and just over $850 billion, respectively. Anthropic this week confidentially filed for an initial public offering in the U.S. as investor demand for AI stocks continues.

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