CHENNAI: IIT-Madras joins hands with the cutting-edge conversational search engine Perplexity AI to facilitate free access for students, faculty, and staff to the search engine’s Pro version.

According to IIT-M, Perplexity AI's Founder-CEO Aravind Srinivas, an IIT-M alumnus, facilitated the initiative intending to empower the IIT-M community with advanced AI-powered search capabilities.

“Perplexity AI combines traditional search engine functionalities with conversational AI, enabling users to ask questions and receive concise answers backed by credible sources,” a release issued by IIT-M read.

Pointing out the benefits of this partnership, V Kamakoti, Director of IIT-M stated, “Perplexity AI's innovative approach to search will greatly enhance our students' research experience. With Perplexity Pro, students will have unlimited access to top AI models, enabling them to conduct more thorough searches into topics.”

Perplexity Pro free version offers several enhancements including access to more powerful AI models, providing choice of various AI models for searches and deeper search capabilities.

Prof B Ravindran, the head of the Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI, at IIT-M, praised Perplexity AI's unique approach, saying, “Perplexity AI's extensive citations make it a reliable tool for research and learning. We are proud of Aravind Srinivas' success and grateful for his generosity in repaying the IIT-M community.”