I Compared Meta AI and Perplexity AI Across 7 Prompts — Here’s Who Came Out On Top
A Comparative Overview of Meta AI and Perplexity AI Chatbots
Meta AI and Perplexity AI have recently gained recognition as leading chatbots, each with its own set of features and functionalities. Recently, Perplexity AI proposed a merger with TikTok’s U.S. operations, highlighting its aspiration to enhance its role in the social media arena alongside prominent competitors like Meta.
This article examines the comparative performance of Meta AI and Perplexity AI across various tasks, utilizing seven distinct prompts for the evaluations.
1. General Knowledge
Prompt: "Explain the theory of relativity in simple terms."
Meta AI: Provided a clear and concise explanation, breaking down the complex concepts into manageable parts. It included an analogy and summarized key takeaways effectively.
- Perplexity AI: Offered a thorough overview, suitable for users wanting in-depth knowledge. However, its structure was slightly less organized and not as detailed as Meta’s.
Winner: Meta AI for its clarity and structured presentation, which greatly aids user comprehension.
2. Current Events
Prompt: "Summarize the latest developments in renewable energy technologies as of January 2025."
Meta AI: Delivered a solid summary, organizing critical information into easy-to-read bullet points. It noted important conferences, although they may not be relevant to all users.
- Perplexity AI: Effectively integrated real-time data, offering a comprehensive overview with relevant stats and information, succinctly answering the prompt.
Winner: Perplexity AI for its ability to deliver the most current information effectively.
3. Creative Writing
Prompt: "Compose a short story about a time traveler visiting ancient civilizations."
Meta AI: Crafted an engaging narrative with vibrant descriptions, dividing the story into sections for Ancient Greece and Ancient Egypt.
- Perplexity AI: Produced a cohesive and imaginative story that flowed naturally without sections, making for a more seamless reading experience.
Winner: Perplexity AI for its captivating storytelling that maintained coherence throughout.
4. Coding Assistance
Prompt: "Provide a Python script to scrape the first 10 headlines from a news website and save them in a CSV file."
Meta AI: Delivered a helpful script with clear instructions and reminders on essential error handling.
- Perplexity AI: Presented a well-structured script, accompanied by comprehensive explanations and best practices.
Winner: Perplexity AI for its thorough explanations, enhancing user understanding of the coding process.
5. Language Translation
Prompt: "Translate the following English paragraph into Spanish: ‘Artificial intelligence is transforming various industries by automating tasks and providing data-driven insights.’"
Meta AI: Provided an accurate translation with both casual and formal options, maintaining the original meaning fluently.
- Perplexity AI: Offered a correct translation but added extra sentences in Spanish that may confuse non-native speakers, complicating the response.
Winner: Meta AI due to its straightforward and user-friendly translation approach.
6. Mathematical Problem Solving
Prompt: "Solve this problem step by step: A train leaves Station A at 8:00 AM traveling at 60 mph…"
Meta AI: Provided a step-by-step solution, ensuring clear explanations leading to the correct answer.
- Perplexity AI: Also solved the problem accurately, adding a conversational tone that enhanced understanding.
Winner: Perplexity AI for its engaging and effective problem-solving approach.
7. Personalized Recommendations
Prompt: "Suggest a vacation destination for a family with young children who enjoy outdoor activities and cultural experiences."
Meta AI: Suggested Costa Rica, providing insights on outdoor and cultural attractions while including practical travel tips and a potential budget.
- Perplexity AI: Also recommended Costa Rica but lacked the depth that supports planning, making it slightly less helpful.
Winner: Meta AI for its comprehensive approach catering well to family travel needs.
Overall Assessment
Both Meta AI and Perplexity AI showcase impressive capabilities across diverse tasks. However, Perplexity AI stands out with its provision of detailed explanations and real-time data integration, making it especially useful for research. While Perplexity AI exceeded expectations in coding and creative writing, Meta AI excelled in language translation and personalized recommendations.
In general, both chatbots present viable alternatives to ChatGPT, each with unique strengths. While Meta AI requires user login via Instagram, WhatsApp, or Facebook, Perplexity AI operates without an account but may present slight distractions through advertisements. Ultimately, the choice between the two depends on the user’s needs and preferences, but Perplexity AI shows a strong propensity for managing various tasks efficiently.
