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InfoQ Homepage News Perplexity Introduces Labs for Project-Based AI Workflows

Perplexity Introduces Labs for Project-Based AI Workflows

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Perplexity has released Labs, a new feature for Pro subscribers designed to support more complex tasks beyond question answering. The update marks a shift from search-based interactions toward structured, multi-step workflows powered by generative AI.

Perplexity Labs enables users to perform a wide range of tasks, including generating reports, analyzing data, writing and executing code, and building lightweight web applications, all within a single interface. Users can access Labs via a new mode selector available on web and mobile platforms, with desktop support coming soon.

While Perplexity Search focuses on concise answers and Research (formerly Deep Research) offers more in-depth synthesis, Labs is designed for users who need finished outputs. These can include formatted spreadsheets, visualizations, interactive dashboards, and basic web tools.

Each Lab includes an Assets tab, where users can view or download all generated materials, including charts, images, CSVs, and code files. Some Labs also support an App tab that can render basic web applications directly within the project environment.

According to Aravind Srinivas, CEO and co-founder of Perplexity:

Introducing Perplexity Labs: a new mode of doing your searches on Perplexity for much more complex tasks like building trading strategies, dashboards, headless browsing tasks for real estate research, building mini-web apps, storyboards, and a directory of generated assets.

In practical terms, Labs automates and combines tasks that would otherwise require multiple software tools and considerable manual input. This is particularly relevant for tasks involving structured research, data processing, or prototyping.

Initial feedback has highlighted the speed and contextual accuracy of the platform. Sundararajan Anandan shared:

I recently tried Perplexity Labs, and it is a game-changer. Tasks that once took hours of manual research and formatting were distilled into crisp, actionable insights in under 10 minutes. While it is still early and the platform will need time to mature, the initial experience is genuinely impressive.

However, some early users have pointed out areas for improvement. In particular, follow-up interactions and code revisions after the initial generation are currently limited. As one Reddit user commented:

The biggest problem with Labs is that it doesn’t handle follow-ups very well. It basically requires you to be a one-shotting ninja.

The company has also announced that it is standardizing terminology, renaming “Deep Research” to simply “Research” to clarify the distinctions between the three modes: Search, Research, and Labs.

Perplexity Labs is now live and available to all Pro users. Additional examples and use cases are available via the platform’s Projects Gallery, designed to help users get started with practical tasks.

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