Unlike ChatGPT & Co. – there was confusion with the US election.

ChatGPT Search, Gemini, Google’s AI Search, and the like have, at least some time ago, given only one answer to questions about the US election: “I can’t answer this question at this time.” Most AI chatbots only answer when the results are known, for example, who won the election. Things were different with Perplexity. AI Search worked with the entire election including counting and offered an election center. And information from other publishers was also used for this purpose. She probably won’t be happy about this again.

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Perplexity has all the relevant information, data and assessments related to the US elections prepared in an overviewElectoral districts, counts and winners were shown on maps. There were also links to sources and pages that provided, for example, historical context or other additional information. While Elon Musk’s Grok also provided alternative answers that, according to TechCrunch, were often wrong, Perplexity provided an accurate all-round alternative – although a large part of the proposal was not based on generative AI, but merely observation and Information

Publishers’ lawsuit against Perplexity

However, for voters and observers, this means that they no longer have to consume the usual media – even though a large part of the information comes from them. Perplexity puts it all together intuitively and provides an overview directly in the app. Some information also came from the partnerships for which Perplexity pays money. The specific count data apparently comes from Democracy Works, an organization that compiles these exact numbers. Google also uses it for its observation. For example, Perplexity also has contracts with the Associated Press and other media companies. However, not all information found on the service was from these partners.

Content producers, i.e. usually publishers, may be losing clicks to their sites because the content was already used elsewhere. Clicks mean there is no opportunity to make money from advertising. That’s why several publishers are already suing Perplexity — including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and others.

In addition to disputes over payment and use of content, there is undoubtedly also the risk of hallucinations. Incorrect information before or during vote counting was too high a risk for most AI vendors, preventing their AI models from responding. Not that much confusion.

(EMW)