Perplexity introduces AI assistant for Android to challenge Alexa, ChatGPT

The new Perplexity Assistant can book dinner reservations, hail rides on apps and set reminders, among other actions

Artificial intelligence startup Perplexity launched an agent-based assistant for Android devices on Thursday as it looks to take on larger rival OpenAI's ChatGPT and incumbent assistants such as Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa.

The Nvidia and Jeff Bezos-backed company said the tool, known as Perplexity Assistant, can book dinner reservations, hail rides on apps and set reminders, among other actions. It is available in 15 languages on Google's Play Store.

"We'd love to make it available on iOS, and if Apple gives us the right permissions, we'll make it happen," a spokesperson for Perplexity said.

OpenAI rolled out a similar tool, called Tasks, to ChatGPT Team and Pro subscribers last week on the web platform.

Tech giants Amazon and Apple have also been developing more advanced versions of their assistants.

Last year, Apple incorporated Apple Intelligence into its voice assistant, Siri, and in a partnership with OpenAI, the iPhone maker also introduced the use of ChatGPT, with user permission. Meanwhile, Amazon's CEO, Andy Jassy, said in December that a refreshed version of their voice assistant, Alexa, is on the horizon and expected to launch in the "coming months."