SAN FRANCISCO, February 27, 2026 — The tech industry’s fixation on simple AI chatbots is officially entering a new phase. Perplexity AI has launched “Perplexity Computer,” a tool that moves away from conversational Q&A and toward the role of a general-purpose digital worker.
Billed as an autonomous “agent,” the system is designed to handle complex, multi-step tasks with minimal human intervention, marking a significant departure from the prompt-heavy era of traditional AI.
Beyond the Chatbot: The General-Purpose Worker
While the last two years were defined by users “chatting” with AI, Perplexity Computer is designed to “do.” Instead of a user guiding an AI through every step of a process, they provide a goal—such as researching a market, writing a comprehensive report, or developing software—and the system executes the entire workflow independently.
The goal is to eliminate the friction of modern AI use. Currently, getting high-quality results often requires specific prompt engineering and manual oversight; Perplexity Computer aims to abstract that complexity, allowing the AI to manage the nuances of the task itself.
19 Models, One System: Multi-Model Orchestration
The engine behind this new “computer” is not a single AI model, but a sophisticated orchestration of 19 different models. Perplexity argues that as AI becomes more powerful, it also becomes more specialized. Rather than asking one model to be a jack-of-all-trades, Perplexity Computer breaks a task into pieces and assigns them to the best tool for the job:
- Logic & Reasoning: Heavyweight models handle the strategic thinking.
- Specialized Skills: Specific models are triggered for coding or image generation.
- Speed & Efficiency: Lighter models manage routine data processing.
The system then merges these disparate outputs into a single, cohesive final product.
The Race for Autonomous Agents
The launch follows a growing industry trend toward AI “autonomy.” Companies are racing to create systems that can handle long-term projects without being hand-held. Perplexity’s CEO noted that the company has been working on this “next big thing” for months, aiming to unify all current AI capabilities into a single, seamless system that doesn’t rely on any one large language model (LLM).
Availability and Premium Access
As of today, Perplexity Computer is available to “Perplexity Max” subscribers within the company’s premium tier. A broader rollout to Pro users is expected in the coming weeks as the system scales.
Bottom Line
Perplexity Computer is a bet that the future of productivity isn’t a better search bar or a smarter chat window, but a digital employee. By moving from “chat” to “compute,” Perplexity is attempting to prove that the most valuable AI isn’t the one you talk to the most, but the one you have to talk to the least.
