San Francisco: Perplexity AI has introduced a new tool called Personal Computer, an AI assistant that turns a Mac into a 24/7 digital worker. The company says it is designed to handle complex tasks across apps, files, and the web like an automated helper running your computer for you.
This complements Perplexity’s Comet browser, which focuses on simplifying how users interact with information through AI-powered browsing.
Unlike regular AI assistants that only act when you ask them something, Personal Computer can keep working in the background. You can give it a goal, like organising files, preparing data, or completing a multistep online task, and the AI figures out the steps on its own. This marks a shift from traditional AI assistants toward more autonomous systems capable of handling ongoing workflows.
It breaks the job into smaller actions and carries them out across different apps without needing instructions. Similar AI-driven personalisation is also being explored in areas like Perplexity Health, where user data is used to generate tailored insights and recommendations.
Because the system runs directly on a Mac, it can access your local files, applications, and browser sessions. This lets it do jobs the way a human might, and users don’t even need to buy special hardware to use it.
Perplexity says the goal is to give people an assistant that “never sleeps” and can manage ongoing tasks even when they are away from their computer. The company wants the AI to handle repetitive or time‑consuming work so users can focus on bigger projects instead.
Personal Computer is available through an early-access waitlist, with Perplexity planning to expand access later this year.
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