Perplexity updated Comet Assistant to give you more visibility and control over what your AI assistant does. It's not just a feature update: it's a statement of principles about transparency, user control, and responsible judgment when AI acts on your behalf.
What changes in Comet Assistant
The revamped version shows what the assistant does and how it does it. Want to see in real time what it's browsing, where it clicks, or how it processes a page? Now you can. Perplexity added an Assistant sidecar that reveals steps, clicks, and scrolling, with clear buttons to stop the action or ask for more instructions.
Also, when you use the omnibar or Perplexity search, Comet can ask if you want the assistant to take the task. You decide: browse yourself, allow it to do it once, or let it act automatically when it detects it can help.
The three principles that guide the assistant
-
Transparency. A trustworthy assistant shows its work. Seeing the sequence of actions helps you understand why it reaches an answer and lets you correct it if it goes off track.
-
User control. You don't want surprises: now you choose the level of autonomy. Do you want the assistant to complete a purchase or sign in for you without asking? By default, no. You can allow one-off actions or grant more freedom depending on how much you trust it.
-
Responsible judgment. Comet Assistant is designed to pause when it detects high-risk decisions, like signing in to a service or finalizing a purchase. In those cases it will ask for confirmation before acting.
Visibility, options, and prudence: that's how Comet runs at the speed of autonomy without taking you out of the driver's seat.
How this translates into real tasks
Imagine you ask Comet to search for flights and complete a booking. With the new experience you'll see every step in the Assistant sidecar: search, compare, select. If it comes time to pay, the assistant will stop and ask permission before using your details.
If you only want it to do part of the job, you can give one-time permission to fill forms or let it act automatically on repetitive tasks you've already approved. Worried about privacy? Perplexity emphasizes that each Comet Assistant is personal and private, meant to belong to you and adapt to how you like to work.
Where this fits in Perplexity's ecosystem
These ideas aren't exclusive to Comet: they're the framework for other Perplexity assistants, from the Email Assistant to Background Assistants and Deep Research. The intent is consistent: build assistants that boost curiosity and productivity without displacing human decision-making.
Final reflection
The Comet Assistant update doesn't just add features: it highlights an important question for any AI that does things for you: who decides? Perplexity bets the answer should be clear: you decide, the AI executes transparently and asks permission when the risk is real. Ready to delegate without losing control?
Original source
https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/blog/comet-assistant-puts-you-in-control