On Tuesday, two AI startups tried convincing the world their AI chatbots have been ok to be an correct, real-time supply of data throughout a high-stakes presidential election: xAI and Perplexity.
Elon Musk’s Grok failed almost instantly, providing incorrect solutions about races’ outcomes earlier than the polls had even closed.
Alternatively, Perplexity supplied useful, real-time election insights and maps all through the night time, linking to dependable assets and providing historic context the place applicable.
Perplexity took a dangerous wager, and it paid off.
Late final week, the startup introduced the launch of its election information hub, that includes real-time maps populated with voting information from Democracy Works and the Related Press, the identical data sources that energy Google’s election map. This method was totally different from most different AI chatbots, comparable to OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini, which merely refused to reply questions associated to the election.
It’s comprehensible why most AI labs sat this election out. It was the secure and accountable selection for a lot of of them, as they’ve been stricken by embarrassing hallucinations in some unspecified time in the future or one other within the final yr.
Specifically, OpenAI recently released its Google competitor, ChatGPT Search. However the Sam Altman-led startup didn’t belief the function to reply questions on this election, directing customers to Vote.org as an alternative. ChatGPT Search continues to be an early product, which is too unreliable for people to use in everyday scenarios, and OpenAI appears to have acknowledged that.
In distinction, Perplexity has been testing its Google competitor out in the actual world since December 2022 and clearly felt it had sufficient information to provide this election a shot.
Perplexity’s election night time success might set it again in its ongoing fight with media companies; particularly, Dow Jones’ latest lawsuit claiming the startup competes with media firms for a similar audiences. Regardless of the numerous outbound hyperlinks throughout the AI chatbot’s solutions, Perplexity’s election hub was itself a vacation spot on election night time, and it didn’t require customers to enterprise off the app to get all their data. It definitely looks as if Perplexity was competing with media firms, who have been additionally vying for eyeballs on election night time, regardless that Perplexity collects its data from these shops. Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas even claimed “file site visitors” the day earlier than and clearly hoped to keep up that momentum.
Whereas Perplexity had offers with Democracy Works, the AP, and some different media firms to energy election options, the startup additionally indiscriminately used stay election protection from different media shops comparable to CBS, CNN, and the BBC. Positive, Perplexity supplied attribution, however the firm hasn’t introduced any revenue-sharing partnerships with these shops and it’s unclear if any cash modified arms.
How Perplexity fared on Election Evening
First, let’s begin with Perplexity’s election options that had nothing to do with generative AI: the charts.
Folks sometimes love visible election charts, clicking into them and seeing granular information on a state-by-state stage. It was a sensible transfer for Perplexity to construct these out and ensured their AI programs weren’t the only supply of data within the app.
When visiting Perplexity’s election hub, customers have been met with a familiar-looking electoral map of america, with some states blue for Kamala Harris and others crimson for Donald Trump. Clearly, Perplexity didn’t reinvent the wheel with this function — copying the show Google and each TV community exhibits — however they didn’t have to. All through the night time, this map appeared to replace each minute or so, reflecting the knowledge on the Related Press’ web site. It was a great way to comply with the election.
There have been bugs in Perplexity’s map periodically all through the night time. Srinivas responded to users on X that have been reporting flaws, comparable to Perplexity not reporting the share of votes that had been counted, and rapidly addressed them.
Perplexity supplied one other acquainted function, a state-by-state tracker, giving real-time details about swing states.
Now for the AI half. When requested questions in regards to the present state of the presidential race, Perplexity answered with hedged responses that also gave principally correct data. These solutions weren’t as insightful as a commentator on CNN, nor as entertaining as The New York Instances’ election needle (which made a comeback this yr). Nevertheless, Perplexity solely confirmed just a few small hallucinations and largely produced related information in a well timed method. That’s greater than I can say for every other AI chatbot in the marketplace.
When making an attempt to reply follow-up questions on Harris’ lead in “Blue Wall” states, Perplexity did hallucinate barely. It was referencing polling information, when it ought to have been referencing real-time votes at this level within the night time. Nevertheless, the overall data right here was in the best ballpark, and different AI chatbots simply wouldn’t reply this query.
Right here’s one other follow-up query we tried: What ballots have but to be counted in swing states? It was onerous to search out a solution to this query elsewhere. Granted, the one helpful solutions right here have been for Pennsylvania and North Carolina, however no less than Perplexity didn’t hallucinate for the opposite states.
This election was the primary to function AI chatbots as a supply of data round our democratic processes. Nevertheless, this won’t be the final election the place that’s the case. Properly-funded AI startups are combating to ship data to folks in new, sooner, extra concise methods. Accuracy will likely be key to success right here shifting ahead. Up to now, Perplexity has the early lead.
