Telefónica’s Wayra Invests in AI Answer Engine Perplexity to Revolutionize Information Access
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Telefónica’s corporate venture capital division, Wayra, has declared its investment in the AI answer platform Perplexity.
The platform developed by Perplexity seeks to transform the landscape of online information searches by offering real-time, precise, and context-aware answers to user queries using natural language processing. In contrast to conventional search engines that provide a list of links, Perplexity comprehends the user’s intent and presents clear, succinct responses from a carefully selected set of relevant sources.
With this investment, Wayra aligns itself with a remarkable group of existing investors, which includes technology leaders Nvidia and Databricks, along with notable figures like Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller. Venture capital firms such as Bessemer Venture Partners, NEA, and IVP have also invested in Perplexity, betting on its future growth and expansion.
In addition to the investment, Telefónica has established a global commercial agreement with Perplexity. This collaboration will provide special benefits to Telefónica customers in Brazil, the UK, and Spain, with intentions to consider expanding into other regions.
Telefónica has introduced a Perplexity experience via television. The company has created a unique living app within the Movistar Plus+ catalogue, enabling customers with compatible devices to interact directly with Perplexity through their TV. Users can query any topic using the Movistar Plus+ Voice Remote by pressing the Aura button, receiving real-time, AI-generated text responses that are displayed on screen and articulated aloud.
Chema Alonso, Chief Digital Data Officer at Telefónica, stated: “The investment in Perplexity is part of one of the new pillars of Wayra’s investment strategy, focusing on leading technology markets like the US, investing in high-growth companies with global presence and influence, and leaders in technologies such as AI.
“With this commercial agreement, we are further affirming Telefónica’s dedication to incorporating advanced technologies within the company and delivering transformative experiences to our customers, like Perplexity’s answer engine.”
Perplexity distinguishes itself from conventional search engines through its AI-driven strategy, which features a conversational interface and tailored results. Additionally, the platform presents a transparent list of cited references, which improves the precision and significance of its responses.
Aravind Srinivas, the Co-Founder and CEO of Perplexity, stated: “This investment from Wayra not only affirms our AI-driven strategy but also unveils exciting possibilities for worldwide expansion.”
By integrating Perplexity’s features into television screens, Telefónica is introducing innovative methods for users to obtain information and connect with AI within their households.
“We anticipate further collaboration with Telefónica to explore the limits of what can be achieved in AI-powered information discovery and to develop transformative experiences for users globally,” Srinivas concluded.
The recent investment from Telefónica coincides with findings that indicate the telecom sector is at the forefront of generative AI adoption.
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Tags: ai, answer engine, artificial intelligence, perplexity, search engine, telecoms, Telefónica, telefonica, wayra
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