Book a gym tour and compare memberships with Comet
First they took care of your writing. Task: First they took care of your writing. Now, artificial intelligence systems are looking to do your web browsing for you. A new slate of AI-powered web browsers have come onto the scene, as AI companies look for more ways to integrate their tools into daily life. Perplexity AI's web browser, Comet, launched on Wednesday to much fanfare from some tech circles, as early users tested out its capabilities. It enters a crowded space, which includes products like Dia, Google's Gemini in Chrome, and a reported upcoming browser from ChatGPT creator, OpenAI. Perplexity touts Comet, available only to those on the company's $200-per-month tier, as a "thought partner" that helps users accomplish tasks without having to do the work of actually browsing. In tests, NBC News found that the browser can book reservations, prepare online purchases and plan a full vacation. But the process wasn't as seamless as it appears in the demos. Comet is here.A web browser built for today's internet.pic.twitter.com/cFPeghl2YM — Perplexity (@perplexity_ai) July 9, 2025 The browser is part of an escalating race to advance AI agents, or AI systems that can make decisions and take action on a user's behalf. When users chat with a tool like Claude or ChatGPT, they type a question and get a response, but they still need to decide what to do with the answer. An AI agent, however, will send questions directly to the browser and even generate new ones based on its knowledge about you and make decisions proactively. A browser-native AI might try to learn your routine; for example, when you eat lunch. When lunchtime arrives, it can automatically order one of your favorite meals or even reserve a table at your favorite restaurant. Comet opens to Perplexity's AI search engine and its AI operates in a sidebar. In tests conducted by NBC News, Comet was able to assist in tasks like applying to jobs, buying a new outfit and booking a gym visit. But it often required intervention from the user, largely due to privacy restrictions that prevent it from accessing and inputting personal information without a human taking the final steps. When trying to make a purchase online, for example, the Comet assistant stated that it can't directly conduct any transactions, though it offered to assist in other ways, such as tracking down deals or comparing products. It can also add items to the user's cart. "For your privacy and security, I cannot accept, process, or store any personal or payment information, and I am not able to complete transactions or purchases on your behalf," the assistant wrote. "This policy protects your sensitive data and ensures safe, responsible use of this assistant." And when asking the browser assistant to apply to a job on Indeed, it navigated to the site, selected a job and started the application process — though it needed the user to log into the site on their own. It then told the user, "You will still need to review and submit any application yourself, especially if the application requires personal details or verification steps that only you can provide." The browser did, however, successfully book a gym tour — with some extra prodding. When first asked to book the tour, Comet claimed a visit had been scheduled. When pushed for confirmation, it revealed that it had only landed on a "placeholder or a pre-selection" page. Asking it to book again prompted the assistant to request the required information from the user before filling out and submitting the form in real time within the browser. Comet also appears capable of understanding multiple tabs at once. When asked to compare a selection of gyms based on the user's open tabs, it produced a chart comparing membership prices of the gyms whose websites were open in the browser. Perplexity says the browser will roll out to additional users over the summer through an invite-based system before eventually becoming free for use. AI agents have become more common on the internet this year as companies have added the tools to their websites. Expedia's AI travel agent is already capable of planning itineraries and booking trips. And Walmart in June launched an AI shopping assistant that can make recommendations and, soon, will help shoppers reorder products or book services.; tools: Perplexity Comet. Human role: The original post does not say how a person stayed involved.; limitations: Comet is currently restricted to users on the $200/month tier. It cannot access or input personal information due to privacy restrictions, requiring human intervention for logins and final submissions. The agent may hallucinate success (e.g., claiming a booking when only a placeholder was reached), so manual verification is mandatory..
Tools
Published on Agent Work Atlas:
Overview
First they took care of your writing.
Workflow
First they took care of your writing. Now, artificial intelligence systems are looking to do your web browsing for you. A new slate of AI-powered web browsers have come onto the scene, as AI companies look for more ways to integrate their tools into daily life. Perplexity AI's web browser, Comet, launched on Wednesday to much fanfare from some tech circles, as early users tested out its capabilities. It enters a crowded space, which includes products like Dia, Google's Gemini in Chrome, and a reported upcoming browser from ChatGPT creator, OpenAI. Perplexity touts Comet, available only to those on the company's $200-per-month tier, as a "thought partner" that helps users accomplish tasks without having to do the work of actually browsing. In tests, NBC News found that the browser can book reservations, prepare online purchases and plan a full vacation. But the process wasn't as seamless as it appears in the demos. Comet is here.A web browser built for today's internet.pic.twitter.com/cFPeghl2YM — Perplexity (@perplexity_ai) July 9, 2025 The browser is part of an escalating race to advance AI agents, or AI systems that can make decisions and take action on a user's behalf. When users chat with a tool like Claude or ChatGPT, they type a question and get a response, but they still need to decide what to do with the answer. An AI agent, however, will send questions directly to the browser and even generate new ones based on its knowledge about you and make decisions proactively. A browser-native AI might try to learn your routine; for example, when you eat lunch. When lunchtime arrives, it can automatically order one of your favorite meals or even reserve a table at your favorite restaurant. Comet opens to Perplexity's AI search engine and its AI operates in a sidebar. In tests conducted by NBC News, Comet was able to assist in tasks like applying to jobs, buying a new outfit and booking a gym visit. But it often required intervention from the user, largely due to privacy restrictions that prevent it from accessing and inputting personal information without a human taking the final steps. When trying to make a purchase online, for example, the Comet assistant stated that it can't directly conduct any transactions, though it offered to assist in other ways, such as tracking down deals or comparing products. It can also add items to the user's cart. "For your privacy and security, I cannot accept, process, or store any personal or payment information, and I am not able to complete transactions or purchases on your behalf," the assistant wrote. "This policy protects your sensitive data and ensures safe, responsible use of this assistant." And when asking the browser assistant to apply to a job on Indeed, it navigated to the site, selected a job and started the application process — though it needed the user to log into the site on their own. It then told the user, "You will still need to review and submit any application yourself, especially if the application requires personal details or verification steps that only you can provide." The browser did, however, successfully book a gym tour — with some extra prodding. When first asked to book the tour, Comet claimed a visit had been scheduled. When pushed for confirmation, it revealed that it had only landed on a "placeholder or a pre-selection" page. Asking it to book again prompted the assistant to request the required information from the user before filling out and submitting the form in real time within the browser. Comet also appears capable of understanding multiple tabs at once. When asked to compare a selection of gyms based on the user's open tabs, it produced a chart comparing membership prices of the gyms whose websites were open in the browser. Perplexity says the browser will roll out to additional users over the summer through an invite-based system before eventually becoming free for use. AI agents have become more common on the internet this year as companies have added the tools to their websites. Expedia's AI travel agent is already capable of planning itineraries and booking trips. And Walmart in June launched an AI shopping assistant that can make recommendations and, soon, will help shoppers reorder products or book services.
Reported result
NBC News tests showed Comet could successfully book a gym tour and compare membership prices across tabs. However, the initial booking attempt failed by claiming success on a placeholder page, requiring user prodding to complete the form. The tool cannot process payments or store personal data, necessitating manual finalization for transactions.
Human role
The original post does not say how a person stayed involved.
Limitations
Comet is currently restricted to users on the $200/month tier. It cannot access or input personal information due to privacy restrictions, requiring human intervention for logins and final submissions. The agent may hallucinate success (e.g., claiming a booking when only a placeholder was reached), so manual verification is mandatory.
Try it
Act as a user testing Perplexity Comet for gym selection. 1. Open three gym websites in separate tabs. 2. Prompt Comet: 'Compare membership prices from these open tabs and create a chart.' 3. Prompt Comet: 'Book a tour at [Gym Name] for [Date/Time].' 4. When Comet asks for personal info, provide it manually. 5. Verify the booking confirmation email. 6. If Comet claims success without a confirmation number, prompt it to 'Check if the form was actually submitted.' Report the time saved vs. manual effort and any errors encountered.
Source reports are not independently verified. Publication date is the catalog publication date, not the original article date.