Master Perplexity features with practical examples, from basic search to building custom AI research assistants that save you 10+ hours per week (Guest Post)
It's a lucid tutorial. I am fan of Perplexity -- I did not know of 'social filter' -- quite clever.
I also am a fan of hyper-focused user experiences for language learning or content creation (I am actively creating solutions with llanai.com and bold.graphics respectively). Sure for a casual business man that doesn't care about creating strong relationships with his/her/their clients, Perplexity will be fine.
The chat & file front ends that are widely adopted make clear to me 1 thing.
We are more limited in the Front End, than the back end of the AI User Experience.
I’m a regular user of Perplexity. It was a game changer! It’s my starting point to research, brainstorm, synthesize and outline strategy plans.
It also writes prompts and context roles for 5 other AI’s that I use, along with creating charts of which AI system to use for what part of an implementation plan.
I then compile all 5 responses, edit, edit, edit and ask Perplexity to review, synthesize, challenge assumptions, propose mitigations and recommendations.
I’m having fun lately giving the identical prompt to 6 AI’s, compiling all 6 into 1 document, start new chat in all 6 and prompt them to rank and review each response and then outline a comprehensive best of the best.
Fantastic breakdown of how Spaces turn Perplexity into a knowledge system rather than just a search tool. The compunding research idea is spot-on, but there's an intresting tension here: too much structure in yor Spaces might actually limit serendipity. When everything gets funneled through pre-set instructions and curated sources, you risk missing the adjacent insights that come from broader exploration. Maybe the sweet spot is using Spaces for your core recurring research while keeping some unstructured search time for discovering what you didn't know to look for.
I'm a big Perplexity fan for research, but this article has taught me a great deal. This guide takes the cake for turning a simple AI tool into a Swiss army knife for strategic insight.
Which Perplexity feature do you think will become standard practice first across teams - Spaces, Tasks, or Model switching?
This was incredible. More posts like this would be great. I never knew Perplexity was this powerful! And most likely, 95% of the internet does not either. This was a real eye opener!
You’re absolutely right about the 95%. Some people on X keep saying that no one is using Perplexity. That’s probably because 95% of people are missing the features that are in Perplexity.
This is great; thanks for all of this detail. I've only ever used Perplexity a few times here and there, but I'm realizing there are so many great use cases for me. I'm starting a new role at Google where I'll be leading a Games Developer GTM team, and I've been thinking a lot about how to setup industry research/reports that would get pushed to me. I think Tasks should be able to handle this quite easily so I can stay on top of industry trends. Going to give this a try.
This was so helpful! The way you broke down Perplexity and shared real prompts/workflows is exactly what I needed as I’m building my own research systems.
I love this framework, it really makes the idea of ‘Spaces’ feel actionable and smart! 🙌
If I were to start, I’d focus on the areas that consistently create momentum and clarity: the insights I use most often, the tasks that drain the most time, and the knowledge that actually compounds my impact over time.
I’d be curious to see how this plays out if we set up a mini version together.
Want me to sketch a first draft of your Spaces so you can see it in action?
Thanks Ilia and Joel for this incredibly practical guide as I gently start to wean myself off ChatGPT and Perplexity as a tool that I'm going to be starting to use more and more. This is absolutely something I'm going to be pinning on my desktop as a framework to use.
What resonated most for me is the reframing of research from “search” to infrastructure. Spaces and Tasks aren’t just productivity features. They’re judgment scaffolding. They turn curiosity into something repeatable and strategic instead of reactive.
In my work with leaders and teams, I see the same pattern. The gap isn’t access to information. It’s the absence of systems that help people return to the right questions at the right time.
This is a strong reminder that AI delivers its real value when it sharpens thinking, not when it replaces it. Thoughtful, practical, and very well articulated.
Thank you Joel for the opportunity, I appreciate it!
Thanks for treating us with such a great post!
It's a lucid tutorial. I am fan of Perplexity -- I did not know of 'social filter' -- quite clever.
I also am a fan of hyper-focused user experiences for language learning or content creation (I am actively creating solutions with llanai.com and bold.graphics respectively). Sure for a casual business man that doesn't care about creating strong relationships with his/her/their clients, Perplexity will be fine.
The chat & file front ends that are widely adopted make clear to me 1 thing.
We are more limited in the Front End, than the back end of the AI User Experience.
I’ll check the websites out, thank you for the kind words!
I’m a regular user of Perplexity. It was a game changer! It’s my starting point to research, brainstorm, synthesize and outline strategy plans.
It also writes prompts and context roles for 5 other AI’s that I use, along with creating charts of which AI system to use for what part of an implementation plan.
I then compile all 5 responses, edit, edit, edit and ask Perplexity to review, synthesize, challenge assumptions, propose mitigations and recommendations.
I’m having fun lately giving the identical prompt to 6 AI’s, compiling all 6 into 1 document, start new chat in all 6 and prompt them to rank and review each response and then outline a comprehensive best of the best.
It’s like an AI board of directors. 🤖
That sounds like a super amazing idea and workflow Kristine!
That’s genius, Kristine!!
Fantastic breakdown of how Spaces turn Perplexity into a knowledge system rather than just a search tool. The compunding research idea is spot-on, but there's an intresting tension here: too much structure in yor Spaces might actually limit serendipity. When everything gets funneled through pre-set instructions and curated sources, you risk missing the adjacent insights that come from broader exploration. Maybe the sweet spot is using Spaces for your core recurring research while keeping some unstructured search time for discovering what you didn't know to look for.
You may be onto something here, maybe I’ll try to use more of Spaces in the near future!
I'm a big Perplexity fan for research, but this article has taught me a great deal. This guide takes the cake for turning a simple AI tool into a Swiss army knife for strategic insight.
Which Perplexity feature do you think will become standard practice first across teams - Spaces, Tasks, or Model switching?
Across teams specifically, I feel like Spaces. Tasks will be more individual based on people’s tasks. But we shall see!
Have used Perplexity since their commercial launch. You guys should compensated by the company for this quality of writing.
This just made my day haha thank you Robert!
That’s awesome, Robert! Definitely not sponsored by Perplexity, just fans haha
This was incredible. More posts like this would be great. I never knew Perplexity was this powerful! And most likely, 95% of the internet does not either. This was a real eye opener!
You’re absolutely right about the 95%. Some people on X keep saying that no one is using Perplexity. That’s probably because 95% of people are missing the features that are in Perplexity.
Love reading this, Thomas!
I've definitely been guilty of the "fancy Google" approach with AI tools.
And now… killing it at an ai company!
Bro… God works in mysterious ways 😅
Thanks for the amazing augmentation for the good 😊
We tried! Thank you for the comment!
This is great; thanks for all of this detail. I've only ever used Perplexity a few times here and there, but I'm realizing there are so many great use cases for me. I'm starting a new role at Google where I'll be leading a Games Developer GTM team, and I've been thinking a lot about how to setup industry research/reports that would get pushed to me. I think Tasks should be able to handle this quite easily so I can stay on top of industry trends. Going to give this a try.
This was so helpful! The way you broke down Perplexity and shared real prompts/workflows is exactly what I needed as I’m building my own research systems.
Really appreciate you both sharing this.
Appreciate it Anna, thank you for reading!
Man, I should be using Perplexity more. Thanks for this!
I thought the same! I rarely use it
Of course, thank you for reading James! Perplexity is an amazing tool that a lot of people overlooking.
Am definitely resolving to use it more.
I love the idea of treating accountability like a research system: structured, proactive, and context-aware.
Quick question: if we were to build your ‘Spaces’ for your goals, what would be the top 3 areas you’d want me to focus on first?
I’d say think about this:
- What do you research repeatedly? (industry trends, customer feedback)
- What takes you the most time each week? (market research, content planning)
- What knowledge would compound in value? (customer insights, learning new skills)
I love this framework, it really makes the idea of ‘Spaces’ feel actionable and smart! 🙌
If I were to start, I’d focus on the areas that consistently create momentum and clarity: the insights I use most often, the tasks that drain the most time, and the knowledge that actually compounds my impact over time.
I’d be curious to see how this plays out if we set up a mini version together.
Want me to sketch a first draft of your Spaces so you can see it in action?
leaving this one for you, @Ilia.
Thanks Ilia and Joel for this incredibly practical guide as I gently start to wean myself off ChatGPT and Perplexity as a tool that I'm going to be starting to use more and more. This is absolutely something I'm going to be pinning on my desktop as a framework to use.
I did the same when I read it the first time!
Thank you for taking the time to read this Sam, appreciate your support!
Of course, Ilia. I've got so much to learn from you and Joel. Thank you.
What a great guide. I use Perplexity quite often and I didn't know about some of these features! Thank you guys 🙏
Appreciate it Mia!
Yes for well over a year
This really lands.
What resonated most for me is the reframing of research from “search” to infrastructure. Spaces and Tasks aren’t just productivity features. They’re judgment scaffolding. They turn curiosity into something repeatable and strategic instead of reactive.
In my work with leaders and teams, I see the same pattern. The gap isn’t access to information. It’s the absence of systems that help people return to the right questions at the right time.
This is a strong reminder that AI delivers its real value when it sharpens thinking, not when it replaces it. Thoughtful, practical, and very well articulated.
Appreciate it Mark, Perplexity is the tool a lot of people overlooking, but I feel like it can be very useful, even for teams.
Duly noted