Following its spotlight at CES 2024, Rabbit has unveiled a strategic partnership with Perplexity to enhance its R1, a $199 Teenage Engineering-designed AI gadget. The collaboration aims to integrate a “conversational AI-powered answer engine” with a built-in search feature that provides live and up-to-date answers, distinguishing it from traditional large language models (LLMs) with knowledge cutoffs.
During a live Spaces broadcast, Rabbit CEO Jesse Lyu and Perplexity co-founder Aravind Srinivas announced the partnership, emphasizing the innovative approach of the R1. Unlike conventional LLMs limited by knowledge cutoffs, the R1’s integrated search engine ensures real-time responses. The first 100,000 purchases of the R1 will include a complimentary one-year subscription to Perplexity Pro, granting users access to advanced LLMs such as GPT-4, typically priced at $20 per month.
Rabbit detailed that Perplexity will operate seamlessly in the background of the R1, collaborating with other undisclosed leading LLMs without requiring a subscription. The R1 boasts a 2.88-inch touchscreen, a scrolling navigation wheel, and a rotating camera, positioning it as a compact, universal controller capable of diverse tasks, from messaging and song selection to online orders, thanks to its “Large Action Model” AI.
In AI search, Perplexity AI combines traditional search functionality with LLMs like OpenAI’s GPT-3.5, aiming to compete with established players such as Google and Bing and emerging AI-powered challengers.
The Rabbit-Perplexity collaboration signals a stride toward delivering a dynamic and continuously updated conversational AI experience for users of the R1 AI gadget.