Perplexity, the AI-powered search engine, wants to get into hardware.
Arvind Srinivas, founder and CEO of Perplexity, Posted Yesterday X said he was considering building a “simple, under-$50” device to “reliably answer” questions “voice-to-voice.” He promised that if the post gets more than 5,000 likes, Perplexity will “definitely” sell such a device.
did it. “Okay. LFG!” Srinivas Answered.
Ok LFG! https://t.co/hMw3eugb0l
The hardware is becoming something of a frenzy among high-profile AI startups — partly because of its cachet, but also because new AI-focused form factors have the potential to enable new kinds of interactions. are Art generator Midjourney formed a hardware team in August, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently confirmed that he is working on an AI hardware project with former Apple design chief Jony Ive.
But hardware is hard.
Rabbit’s R1, perhaps one of the most successful AI devices in recent years, is available. Abundance At great discounts on eBay. Rabbit claims to have sold around 130,000 units as of June, but the startup has been slow to roll out many of its advertised features ahead of the R1’s launch.
Other AI device ventures have crashed and burned – Humane being the extreme example. The startup pitched its Ai Pin, a futuristic wearable device, as a smartphone replacement. But reviews were terrible, sales were weak, and a safety issue forced Human. Recalls the problem. Before long, Human was looking for an acquirer.
Now, Perplexity has plenty of cash in the bank — and is said to be close to raising nearly half a billion dollars. This is one ingredient for hardware success. But with history as our guide, there’s a lot more that needs to get right if the company hopes to have an impact on its hands (or at least avoid the scandal).
Credit : techcrunch.com
