Introduction: What is Perplexity AI really good for?

Artificial intelligence (AI) promises many things: efficiency, precision and a deeper insight into complex topics. But is what is being sold to us as "deep research" really as good as it seems? A closer look at Perplexity AI, a promising AI startup that recently unveiled its deep research function, reveals a different side of the coin. Despite promising technology, AI doesn't always deliver what it promises when it comes to research - and this could also be problematic for companies and individuals who rely on these tools.

The expectations: What Perplexity Deep Research promises

Perplexity AI has launched a new feature that promises to create in-depth research reports - completely free of charge. The technology combines multiple searches and analysis processes to quickly provide an overview of a topic from a variety of sources. The benefits are obvious: users should receive a well-founded summary within a few minutes without having to trawl through countless sources.

But on closer inspection, more and more questions arise. Although the function is impressive in theory, the actual results raise doubts as to whether we can really count on AI as a trustworthy research partner.

The reality: What happens behind the scenes?

Anyone expecting Perplexity AI's in-depth research to deliver accurate, well-weighted and complete results could be disappointed. A closer look at the sources used by the AI shows that the selection and weighting of the sources is by no means transparent. In a test on the use of AI in public administration, it was found that the AI counted sources repeatedly and did not always combine them reliably.

Another problem is that AI often does not analyze the sources in depth. Instead, the information is often simply adopted directly without putting it into context. The result is a superficial overview that is not sufficient for complex topics such as the migration debate or AI integration in public administration. Without a deeper examination of the sources and their context, many questions remain unanswered.

 The future of AI research - opportunities and risks

Perplexity AI offers a fascinating first glimpse into the future of AI-supported research. But the reality is not yet fully developed. Anyone relying on such tools to understand complex topics or make informed decisions needs to be careful. Incorrect citations, unclear sources and superficial summaries are not uncommon with Perplexity AI.

Despite its free use, the question remains: how reliable is this technology really? In its current form, it offers a quick start, but in-depth and precise research still requires human control and expertise. Anyone who relies on correct and well-founded research should therefore not only trust AI, but also check the results themselves - this also applies to professional applications.

To summarize:

Perplexity AI offers a quick search, but without guarantee of completeness or correctness.

The AI has problems with the correct weighting and source citation.

The human factor remains indispensable for an in-depth and precise analysis.