Perplexity, the AI-powered search tool, is rolling out a new "Internal Knowledge Search" feature for its Pro and Enterprise Pro subscribers. This function allows users to search both public web content and internal knowledge bases simultaneously, potentially speeding up information retrieval.
CEO Aravind Srinivas believes the combined search of internal and external data sources could significantly boost company productivity. Early adopters, including financial services firms, sales and HR teams, and startups, are already using the feature for tasks like due diligence, RFP processes, and answering employee questions.
The company is also launching "Perplexity Spaces," which are AI-driven collaboration areas that can be tailored to specific use cases. These spaces offer access control and data protection features. Enterprise Pro customers will soon have access to third-party data integrations from Crunchbase and FactSet.
Data sourcing practices under scrutiny
While Perplexity expands its offerings, the startup faces criticism over its data procurement methods. Concerns have been raised about potential copyright infringements and questionable data sourcing practices. Amazon Web Services is investigating whether Perplexity's website crawling and content use violate its terms of service.
One major issue is Perplexity's alleged disregard for the Robots Exclusion Protocol, which allows websites to block automated bots. The company reportedly scraped content from WIRED despite the site explicitly blocking its bot. In some instances, WIRED content was reportedly reproduced verbatim by Perplexity.
The company's "Perplexity Pages" have also come under fire for reproducing media content. Some pages largely consist of exclusive articles from various publications, sometimes copied word-for-word, with sources identified only by small, easily overlooked logos.
New York Times takes legal action
The controversy surrounding Perplexity's practices has escalated to legal action. The New York Times is suing the AI startup, alleging unauthorized use of its content in AI-powered search results.
The NYT claims Perplexity has unjustly profited from using the newspaper's carefully researched journalism without permission. The lawsuit seeks information on how Perplexity is accessing the NYT website despite protective measures.
Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas denies the allegations, stating the company's interest in collaborating with publishers. He refutes claims that Perplexity is ignoring the NYT's efforts to block website crawling.
As Perplexity continues to expand its AI-powered search capabilities, the ongoing legal and ethical debates surrounding its data sourcing practices are likely to shape the future of AI-driven information retrieval and content aggregation.
