Perplexity's AI Search Engine Can Now Buy Products For You 30
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Verge: Perplexity is rolling out a new feature that will let Pro subscribers purchase a product without leaving its AI search engine. When searching for a product using Perplexity, Pro members based in the US can now choose a "Buy with Pro" button that will automatically order the product using saved shipping and billing information. Perplexity says all products purchased through Buy with Pro come with free shipping. For products that don't support Buy with Pro, Perplexity will redirect users to the merchant's website to complete their purchase. [...]
Users who aren't subscribed to Perplexity's $20 / month Pro option will still see other updated AI shopping features, including new product cards that will appear for product-related searches. For users in the US, these cards show a product image and its price, along with AI-written summaries of key features and reviews. Perplexity is also launching a new AI-powered "Snap to Shop" search tool that will let all users take a picture of a product and ask questions about it, similar to Google Lens. This feature will only be available to Pro users at launch. Perplexity also already lets Pro users make visual searches unrelated to shopping.
Users who aren't subscribed to Perplexity's $20 / month Pro option will still see other updated AI shopping features, including new product cards that will appear for product-related searches. For users in the US, these cards show a product image and its price, along with AI-written summaries of key features and reviews. Perplexity is also launching a new AI-powered "Snap to Shop" search tool that will let all users take a picture of a product and ask questions about it, similar to Google Lens. This feature will only be available to Pro users at launch. Perplexity also already lets Pro users make visual searches unrelated to shopping.
News? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
For LLMs, which have almost no applications, this is news. Not exciting or interesting news to be sure.
Re: (Score:2)
LLM's have LOTS of applications...but usually only in areas where you don't care if the answers are a bit off. In this case, an answer that's a bit off is going to cost someone money.
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Oh, sure. If you do not care about result quality, you can use a hammer for brain surgery.
great gravy (Score:1)
WTF AI is a nightmare,they should be gone by next week.
Just one question. (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Because they need to find "applications" of this technology to keep the hype from collapsing a little while longer.
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My answer is simple.
No thank you.
AI has decided you need a premium subscription (Score:3)
Wow! (Score:3)
This AI and it's author has no green card .. (Score:2)
Nepotism 2.0: AI is picking slashdot articles (Score:2)
After I wondered why anyone would want this, I wondered why slashdot posted this article.
My guess is that we're using an AI to choose articles, so it's a favor for a buddy.
Re: (Score:1)
Any given AI these days doesn't have any buddies. Each is like an eager to please three-year who jumps on a request from anyone.
And for those with one from the original article, it has your credit card.
Re: (Score:2)
I can think of a reason why someone would want this. The people running it are building a cardboard toll booth in hopes of catching a few pennies as rubes pass by.
Oh, you mean why would any user want this?
Re: (Score:2)
They must have wanted it, since they bought it!
Or, their search engine bought it on their behalf. Same thing, surely?
Re: Nepotism 2.0: AI is picking slashdot articles (Score:2)
Take from both sides.. (Score:2)
No thanks (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Shopping, even before this internet thing, was always about weeding through the junk. Sure 'brand names' have declined because everything is now just the same China-maid* commodity item, but buying quality is still an exercise in research, wisdom, and common sense.
Research has fallen to fake reviews, wisdom has fallen with modern education, and common sense has flown the coop... On second thought, carry on.
*pun intended.
Re: (Score:2)
NewEgg at least has a toggle to keep the "Marketplace" garbage/scams out of your results. I'm sure they're working hard to make their search as terrible as Amazon's, but for now it seems to work still.
Next step: a version aimed at kids (Score:2)
What could go wrong?
unless it also earns the money to pay for the stuf (Score:2)
Well, that's good. (Score:2)
I can see absolutely no way marketers will be able to abuse this.
Shopping search looks like a good job for AI (Score:2)
Searching for all the sellers of the same product to find the best deal looks like a good job for AI. It is an annoying job to do all the research when buying something. I can imagine having AI doing it. But I want the list of proposed options from more stores and what are differences between them: price, shipping cost, delivery times, warranty and service level. I wold select the option/suplier I like ... and only after that AI can possibly buy it for me ... though I would likely rather buy it myself - no
Nothing at all could go wrong. (Score:2)
Once the AI "can" make purchases for you, it's only a matter of time before it will decide you aren't making enough purchases because the weighting will be placed on it saying to push product, or push purchases from certain vendors. I look for this to go spectacularly wrong for someone. Hopefully one of the AI prophets that are so obsessed with this shit they're forcing it on the rest of us whether we like it or not. Fuck this AI hype cycle hard. I'm sick to death of hearing about how it's going to save the
So what's next? (Score:2)
I suspect the next "feature" to be added will be that of automatically re-ordering previously purchased consumable items. A while after that, there will be a feature wherein a specified percentage of your monthly purchases will be recommended by AI - except that the "recommendations" will be in the form of surprises ending up on your doorstep. Kinda like a gift, except that you paid for it.
Oh, and BTW, you also paid for the AI "service" which just picked your pocket. Yeah, you definitely got "serviced" in s
Perplexity and browser history (Score:3)
no pdfs (Score:2)
Perplexity's biggest failing is that it does not look inside pdf's, so does not have access to tons of useful data, especially from the us govt.
And there goes Perplexity's objectivitiy (Score:2)
As soon as AI or "digital assistants" or whatever can *buy* things, sellers look for ways to get in on the action. And the people funding Perplexity are looking for ways to fund their research. It's a case of magnetic attraction that is too strong to keep the two apart.
\o/ (Score:1)
"Yes, you're right - perhaps I shouldn't have emptied your current and savings accounts and bought daffodils which have now died, leaving you penniles - would you like to rewrite your initial prompt?"