Published on 2024-11-05 18:16
With last week’s launch of ChatGPT Search, I’m still trying to wrap my head around the differences between Perplexity and ChatGPT Search as they both reimagine our search experience online.
Since I haven’t found any official documentation from either company OR even a third-party analysis explaining exactly how their search works (or comparing the differences), I decided to do my own digging by asking their AIs directly!
Here’s what I did:
Asked both ChatGPT and Perplexity to explain the differences
Had Claude (doesn’t have a horse in the AI search race yet) rationalize their responses and create simple infographics explaining what they said
I can’t validate if these are actually correct as I asked AIs to explain themselves. But the image below shows the infographics from Claude.
However, I believe that it’s less about which is “better” because AI innovation keeps leapfrogging. Instead, it’s about understanding which tool fits which job.
Think about how our smartphones have evolved. In the past, we had to choose between different cameras for different needs, like a DSLR for high-quality photos or a point-and-shoot for convenience. Now, our phones automatically adjust settings to capture the best shot without us thinking about it. I believe AI is heading the same way.
Right now we’re actively choosing between tools, but eventually, we’ll just ask our question and the right AI model will handle it behind the scenes.
In the meantime, it’s tough to keep up with all this as users, but that’s the messy middle of innovation we’re living through!
Have you tried either of these new search experiences? What’s been your go-to use case for each? And has anyone come across any good third-party analysis of the differences?
