Topics
Latest
AI
Amazon
Image Credits:Kimberly White for TechCrunch / Getty Images
Apps
Biotech & Health
Climate
Image Credits:Kimberly White for TechCrunch / Getty Images
Cloud Computing
Department of Commerce
Crypto
screenshot of Perplexity’s election hub at 9:14 pm PT on Nov. 5.Image Credits:Maxwell zeff/perplexity
go-ahead
EVs
Fintech
swing state tracker in Perplexity’s election hub.Image Credits:Maxwell Zeff/Perplexity
Fundraising
contrivance
Gaming
Prompt on election night.Image Credits:Maxwell Zeff/Perplexity
Government & Policy
ironware
Perplexity’s answer around 9:15 pm PT on Nov. 5.Image Credits:Maxwell Zeff/Perplexity
Layoffs
Media & Entertainment
Follow-up Prompt on election night.Image Credits:Maxwell Zeff/Perplexity
Meta
Microsoft
seclusion
Image Credits:Maxwell Zeff/Perplexity
Robotics
surety
societal
Follow-up Prompt on election night.Image Credits:Maxwell Zeff/Perplexity
Space
startup
TikTok
Perplexity’s answer around 9:20 pm PT on Nov. 5.Image Credits:Maxwell Zeff/Perplexity
shipping
Venture
More from TechCrunch
Events
Startup Battlefield
StrictlyVC
Podcasts
Videos
Partner Content
TechCrunch Brand Studio
Crunchboard
get through Us
On Tuesday , two AI startup tried convincing the world their AI chatbots were good enough to be an accurate , literal - time source of information during a high - stakes presidential election : xAI and Perplexity .
Elon Musk’sGrok failed almost instantly , offering improper answers about race ’ outcomes before the polls had even close up .
On the other hand , Perplexity offered helpful , real - prison term election insights and mapping throughout the night , linking to reliable resources and offering historical context where appropriate .
Perplexity accept a hazardous bet , and it paid off .
Late last week , the startup announcedthe launch of its election information hub , feature real - time maps populated with balloting information from Democracy Works and the Associated Press , the same information sources that power Google ’s election map . This approach was different from most other AI chatbots , such as OpenAI ’s ChatGPT or Google ’s Gemini , which only refused to answer questions related to the election .
It ’s understandable why most AI science lab sat this election out . It was the safe and responsible choice for many of them , as they ’ve been plagued byembarrassing hallucinationsat some percentage point or another in the last yr .
In particular , OpenAIrecently expel its Google contender , ChatGPT Search . But the Sam Altman - led inauguration did n’t believe the feature to answer motion about this election , lead users to Vote.org alternatively . ChatGPT Search is still an early product , which istoo undependable for people to use in unremarkable scenario , and OpenAI seems to have recognized that .
Join us at TechCrunch Sessions: AI
Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI
In contrast , Perplexity has been test its Google rival out in the real humans since December 2022 and clearly feel it had enough datum to give this election a shot .
Perplexity ’s election night success could set it back in itsongoing fighting with media party ; specifically , Dow Jones ’ late lawsuit claiming the startup competes with mass medium company for the same audiences . Despite the many outbound link within the AI chatbot ’s answers , Perplexity ’s election hub was itself a name and address on election night , and it did n’t require user to venture off the app to get all their information . It certainly seems like Perplexity was contend with media companies , who were also vying for eyeballs on election nighttime , even though Perplexity collect its information from those outlets . Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas evenclaimed“record traffic ” the day before and clearly hop to maintain that momentum .
While Perplexity had deals with Democracy Works , the AP , and a few other media companies to power election lineament , the inauguration also indiscriminately used live election coverage from other sensitive outlets such as CBS , CNN , and the BBC . Sure , Perplexity offered attribution , but the company has n’t announced any gross - share partnerships with these outlets and it ’s indecipherable if any money changed hands .
How Perplexity fared on Election Night
First , let ’s start with Perplexity ’s election feature that had nothing to do with generative AI : the charts .
mass typically sleep together visual election chart , clicking into them and seeing granular data on a state - by - commonwealth grade . It was a smart move for Perplexity to build these out and control their AI systems were not the sole source of information in the app .
When visiting Perplexity ’s election hub , exploiter were foregather with a familiar - looking electoral map of the United States , with some State Department blue for Kamala Harris and others red for Donald Trump . patently , Perplexity did n’t reinvent the wheel with this feature — copying the display Google and every TV electronic internet show — but they did n’t need to . Throughout the nighttime , this map appeared to update every minute or so , reflecting the entropy on the Associated Press ’ web site . It was a good means to follow the election .
There were bugs in Perplexity ’s mapping periodically throughout the night . Srinivasresponded to users on Xthat were reporting flaw , such as Perplexity not reporting the percent of votes that had been counted , and quickly address them .
Perplexity offered another intimate feature article , a commonwealth - by - state tracker , giving tangible - metre selective information about lilt states .
Now for the AI part . When asked questions about the current Department of State of the presidential race , Perplexity answered with duck answer that still gave mostly accurate data . These answers were n’t as insightful as a commentator on CNN , nor as entertaining as The New York Times ’ election needle ( which made a return this year ) . However , Perplexity only show a few small hallucination and largely produced relevant facts in a well timed style . That ’s more than I can say for any other AI chatbot on the market .
When try on to reply follow - up dubiousness about Harris ’ lead in “ Blue Wall ” commonwealth , Perplexity did hallucinate more or less . It was referencing polling information , when it should have been referencing real - time vote at this point in the nighttime . However , the general entropy here was in the veracious approximate range , and other AI chatbots just would n’t answer this question .
Here ’s another come after - up question we attempt : What ballot have yet to be enumerate in swing Department of State ? It was arduous to detect an solvent to this question elsewhere . grant , the only useful answers here were for Pennsylvania and North Carolina , but at least Perplexity did n’t hallucinate for the other states .
This election was the first to have AI chatbots as a informant of information around our democratic processes . However , this will not be the last election where that ’s the event . Well - funded AI startups are fight to deliver information to people in fresh , faster , more concise ways . Accuracy will be cardinal to success here moving forward . So far , Perplexity has the early steer .
