The Perplexity AI brand is seen on this picture taken Jan. 4, 2024.
Dado Ruvic | Reuters
Perplexity AI, a synthetic intelligence search engine startup hoping to chip away at Google’s dominance, is looking for to greater than double its valuation to about $9 billion in its subsequent funding spherical, CNBC has confirmed.
The firm, which was valued at $3 billion in June, is now seeking to elevate roughly $500 million, although that would change, in line with an individual acquainted with the matter who declined to be named as a result of the talks are confidential.
The Wall Avenue Journal was first to report on the brand new funding spherical.
Perplexity began the 12 months with a roughly $500 million valuation. Since then, the corporate has continued to draw investor curiosity alongside the larger increase in generative AI, elevating three funding rounds this 12 months.
Perplexity is among the many flood of AI startups making an attempt to compete for a slice of the buzzy generative market, which is led by OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT.
Regardless of the AI hype, Perplexity has been mired in controversy, going through a slew of plagiarism accusations from media retailers just like the New York Occasions, which declare the corporate scrapes their content material to generate its solutions. Perplexity has denied the allegations.