Find and book airport parking (partly failed)
Perplexity on Wednesday launched its first AI-powered web browser, called Comet, marking the startup’s latest effort to challenge Google Search as the primary avenue people use to find information online. Task: Perplexity on Wednesday launched its first AI-powered web browser, called Comet, marking the startup’s latest effort to challenge Google Search as the primary avenue people use to find information online. At launch, Comet will be available first to subscribers of Perplexity’s $200-per-month Max plan, as well as a small group of invitees that signed up to a waitlist. Comet’s headline feature is Perplexity’s AI search engine, which is pre-installed and set as the default, putting the company’s core product — AI generated summaries of search results — front and center. Users can also access Comet Assistant, a new AI agent from Perplexity that lives in the web browser and aims to automate routine tasks. Perplexity says the assistant can summarize emails and calendar events, manage tabs, and navigate web pages on behalf of users. Users can access Comet Assistant by opening a sidecar on any web page, which lets the AI agent see what’s on the web page and answer questions about it. Perplexity has released several products and initiatives in recent months, but none feel quite as consequential as Comet. The company’s CEO, Aravind Srinivas, has significantly hyped Comet’s launch in particular, perhaps because he sees it as vital in Perplexity’s battle against Google. With Comet, Perplexity is aiming to reach users directly without having to go through Google Chrome, the most popular browser currently. While AI-powered browsers present uncharted territory for many users, Google itself seems convinced this is the direction browsers are headed: The Search giant has deployed several AI integrations into Chrome in recent months, not to mention AI mode, an AI search product with a striking resemblance to Perplexity. Srinivas said in March that his goal with Comet was to “develop an operating system with which you can do almost everything,” enabling Perplexity’s AI to help users across apps and websites. Becoming the default browser for users can translate to “infinite retention,” Srinivas said in June, which would ostensibly lead to more requests on Perplexity. That said, Comet is entering a crowded arena. While Google Chrome and Apple’s Safari hold most of the market, The Browser Company launched an AI-powered browser, Dia, in June that seems to offer many of the same features as Comet. OpenAI has also reportedly considered launching its own browser to compete with Google, and has even hired some key members from the original Google Chrome team in the last year. Comet could get an initial leg up in the browser wars if a meaningful chunk of Perplexity users sign up for the product. Srinivas recently said that Perplexity saw 780 million queries in May 2025, and that the company’s search products are seeing more than 20% growth month-over-month. Taking on Google Search is no small task, but Perplexity seems to have the right idea by launching a browser of its own. But the startup’s team may find it even harder to convince users to switch browsers than weaning them off Google Search. Hands on with Comet The most unique aspect of this browser seems to be Comet Assistant. During our testing, we found Comet’s AI agent to be surprisingly helpful for simple tasks, but it quickly falls apart when given more complex requests. Using Comet Assistant to its fullest potential also requires you to hand over an uncomfortable level of access to Perplexity. My favorite way to use Comet Assistant, so far, is loading it in the sidecar while I’m browsing the web. Perplexity’s on-browser AI agent can automatically see what I’m looking at, so I can simply ask it questions without needing to open a new window or copy and paste text or links. It’s right there, and it always has the context for what I’m looking at. Comet Assistant was able to answer questions about posts on social media, YouTube videos, and even sentences I just wrote in a Google Doc. I imagine this will streamline workflows for millions of people that are sending screenshots, files, and links to ChatGPT all day. Next, I tried getting Comet Assistant to look through my Google Calendar. But before I could do so, I had to give Perplexity significant access to my Google Account — a lot of access. Just look at how long this list is. I have to say, giving Perplexity permission to view my screen, send emails, look at my contacts, and add events to my Calendar made me a little uneasy. But it seems AI agents need this kind of access to be useful.; tools: Perplexity Comet. Human role: The original post does not say how a person stayed involved.; limitations: Prerequisites include a Perplexity Max subscription or invite. The agent requires extensive access to user accounts and browsing context. Current reliability is low for complex tasks involving specific data entry, with significant risk of hallucinations regarding dates and availability. Human verification is mandatory before any transaction..
Tools
Published on Agent Work Atlas:
Overview
Perplexity on Wednesday launched its first AI-powered web browser, called Comet, marking the startup’s latest effort to challenge Google Search as the primary avenue people use to find information online.
Workflow
Perplexity on Wednesday launched its first AI-powered web browser, called Comet, marking the startup’s latest effort to challenge Google Search as the primary avenue people use to find information online. At launch, Comet will be available first to subscribers of Perplexity’s $200-per-month Max plan, as well as a small group of invitees that signed up to a waitlist. Comet’s headline feature is Perplexity’s AI search engine, which is pre-installed and set as the default, putting the company’s core product — AI generated summaries of search results — front and center. Users can also access Comet Assistant, a new AI agent from Perplexity that lives in the web browser and aims to automate routine tasks. Perplexity says the assistant can summarize emails and calendar events, manage tabs, and navigate web pages on behalf of users. Users can access Comet Assistant by opening a sidecar on any web page, which lets the AI agent see what’s on the web page and answer questions about it. Perplexity has released several products and initiatives in recent months, but none feel quite as consequential as Comet. The company’s CEO, Aravind Srinivas, has significantly hyped Comet’s launch in particular, perhaps because he sees it as vital in Perplexity’s battle against Google. With Comet, Perplexity is aiming to reach users directly without having to go through Google Chrome, the most popular browser currently. While AI-powered browsers present uncharted territory for many users, Google itself seems convinced this is the direction browsers are headed: The Search giant has deployed several AI integrations into Chrome in recent months, not to mention AI mode, an AI search product with a striking resemblance to Perplexity. Srinivas said in March that his goal with Comet was to “develop an operating system with which you can do almost everything,” enabling Perplexity’s AI to help users across apps and websites. Becoming the default browser for users can translate to “infinite retention,” Srinivas said in June, which would ostensibly lead to more requests on Perplexity. That said, Comet is entering a crowded arena. While Google Chrome and Apple’s Safari hold most of the market, The Browser Company launched an AI-powered browser, Dia, in June that seems to offer many of the same features as Comet. OpenAI has also reportedly considered launching its own browser to compete with Google, and has even hired some key members from the original Google Chrome team in the last year. Comet could get an initial leg up in the browser wars if a meaningful chunk of Perplexity users sign up for the product. Srinivas recently said that Perplexity saw 780 million queries in May 2025, and that the company’s search products are seeing more than 20% growth month-over-month. Taking on Google Search is no small task, but Perplexity seems to have the right idea by launching a browser of its own. But the startup’s team may find it even harder to convince users to switch browsers than weaning them off Google Search. Hands on with Comet The most unique aspect of this browser seems to be Comet Assistant. During our testing, we found Comet’s AI agent to be surprisingly helpful for simple tasks, but it quickly falls apart when given more complex requests. Using Comet Assistant to its fullest potential also requires you to hand over an uncomfortable level of access to Perplexity. My favorite way to use Comet Assistant, so far, is loading it in the sidecar while I’m browsing the web. Perplexity’s on-browser AI agent can automatically see what I’m looking at, so I can simply ask it questions without needing to open a new window or copy and paste text or links. It’s right there, and it always has the context for what I’m looking at. Comet Assistant was able to answer questions about posts on social media, YouTube videos, and even sentences I just wrote in a Google Doc. I imagine this will streamline workflows for millions of people that are sending screenshots, files, and links to ChatGPT all day. Next, I tried getting Comet Assistant to look through my Google Calendar. But before I could do so, I had to give Perplexity significant access to my Google Account — a lot of access. Just look at how long this list is. I have to say, giving Perplexity permission to view my screen, send emails, look at my contacts, and add events to my Calendar made me a little uneasy. But it seems AI agents need this kind of access to be useful.
Reported result
The workflow failed during execution. Comet Assistant hallucinated incorrect dates and claimed the desired slots were booked while still prompting for checkout. The user had to intervene to correct the dates and search for alternative locations, which also failed. No successful booking was completed.
Human role
The original post does not say how a person stayed involved.
Limitations
Prerequisites include a Perplexity Max subscription or invite. The agent requires extensive access to user accounts and browsing context. Current reliability is low for complex tasks involving specific data entry, with significant risk of hallucinations regarding dates and availability. Human verification is mandatory before any transaction.
Try it
Act as a travel assistant using Perplexity Comet. My goal is to find and prepare a booking for airport parking at [replaceable airport name] for dates [replaceable start date] to [replaceable end date]. Constraints: Max cost [replaceable price] per day, minimum rating [replaceable rating]. Steps: 1. Search for parking options meeting these criteria. 2. Select one promising option and navigate to its booking page. 3. Input the dates and my details: Name [replaceable name], Email [replaceable email]. 4. STOP before clicking 'Confirm' or 'Pay'. 5. Take a screenshot of the final checkout page showing the entered dates and total price. 6. Report the screenshot and any discrepancies found (e.g., wrong dates, hidden fees). Do not complete the transaction. Wait for my explicit confirmation after reviewing the screenshot. If the agent hallucinates dates, flag it immediately and do not proceed.
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