Perplexity AI, another alternative to ChatGPT, has now been popularly used by users and it has gained 40% of traffic since January 2024. It has also been reported that the AI chatbot has 10 million active monthly users. Even though it is a generative AI chatbot, the site also serves as a search engine for users to refer to through link citations, according to the research.
So, what to worry about, even though it provided sources for websites?
Similar use of the sentence from sources
Perplexity AI generates content that is in the form of cited sentences, which have few or no changes from the original source. This is because cited sentences are intended to accurately convey the style and meaning of the original source. Thus, individuals who want to use content from Perplexity should be aware of issues such as plagiarism and not rely 100% on the generated content. This is true for individuals such as students, content creators or other individuals who require original content.
Risk of biased responses
Users must be aware of the potential for bias in AI chatbots, not only Perplexity. This bias may manifest as a lack of ability to understand nuanced context or social cues. Some of the potential biases are cultural biases, gender biases, or algorithmic biases. Due to this bias, it may generate contents that may not be accurate. Hence, it is critical to fact-check the content generated by AI.
Limited use of sources
The answers generated from Perplexity are only from a small number of sources and this can cause reliability issues. To form a well-rounded opinion or create content that is accurate and credible, it’s essential to consult a diverse range of sources from trusted experts or reputable sources. This will ensure the information is accurate, reliable and has depth.
Risk of using older information from several years ago
Again, it is important to fact-check and see if the source that is generated by AI is reliable. Since Perplexity has readily provided where the generated content came from, users could easily check whether the source is old and updated so that it can be used. This is especially true for topics or information that frequently evolve over time, such as technology or current issues.
How do you avoid unethical use of AI?
Perplexity AI has a few distinct features from ChatGPT, such as source citation and real-time web search. Hence, there are a few things to take note of when using it to avoid improper use.
Here are the ways to do it:
- Give attribution to the correct sources
- Use original content into the AI-generated content
- Cross-check information with multiple sources to ensure accuracy
- Put priority on using recent information for frequently evolving information
- Ensure the information is relevant to the current circumstances
Conclusion
While Perplexity AI offers an innovative solution for content generation and information retrieval, users must exercise caution to maximize its benefits while mitigating potential risks. To avoid unethical use of AI, users should adhere to best practices. By adopting these measures, users can use Perplexity AI well and keep their work honest and fair.
