Prompts

Perplexity: The Complete Guide from Search Engine to Answer Engine

May 26, 20266 min readAmichai Shekel

Perplexity guide in Hebrew: Deep Research, model selection, academic sources, Spaces, Pages, and integration with NotebookLM. How to get accurate answers without hallucinations.

Until today, finding information meant going to Google and searching actively. Perplexity flipped the equation, turning a search engine into an answer engine. Its breakthrough was connecting to the internet and pulling live data while ChatGPT and Gemini were trained up to 2021-2023 and simply hallucinated answers past that date. Today, Perplexity is an exceptionally precise research tool with fewer hallucinations, and many people are missing out on it. This is the complete summary of the session.

What is Perplexity and why is it different

The four core differentiators of Perplexity

Model selection: You are not locked into a single model. You can choose ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Kimi, or Best mode, which automatically selects the most suitable model for the task
Deep Research: In-depth research that scans dozens of websites in minutes, doing what takes a human 6 to 7 hours
Selected information sources: You can restrict searches to academic content, social networks, or just your own data without the internet
Citations for every claim: Every piece of information comes with a link to the source and almost no hallucinations

Getting started: Step by step

Go to perplexity.ai and sign up with your email (free plan, no commitment)
Open a new thread using the plus sign on the left
Enter a detailed prompt. The richer it is, the more impressive the output
Select the model at the bottom or leave it on Best
Choose the information source: All web, Academic, or Social
Receive an answer with links and images, and click on any source to verify reliability

Prompt tip: Do not fear long prompts. Most people write a short prompt, get a mediocre result, and say the tool does not work. Ask ChatGPT or Gemini to write a detailed prompt for Perplexity, and you will get a much richer output. You can also restrict results to a specific year (for example: only the last 3 years) to get up-to-date information only.

Deep Research: In-depth research that saves hours

Important warning: Even Perplexity is not free from hallucinations. Some people flew to Japan based on a trip the model generated, only to discover the destination did not exist at all. Perplexity significantly reduces hallucinations, but never treat AI information as absolute truth. Always verify against sources.

Academic sources: Why it is critical

Advanced functions worth knowing

Spaces: Workspaces like folders where you centralize information, upload files, and provide custom instructions (you can even create a persona, such as Warren Buffett with his investment strategy documents)
Discover: A magazine that gathers the most viral and relevant information, including a detailed Finance section on stocks, crypto, company earnings, and even tracking US politicians who buy or sell stocks
Stock alerts: You can set it to send an email or notification as soon as a stock moves
Pages: Takes research and turns it into a visual page by writing code, which can be exported to HTML
Image search: You can search by image and click on it to see the source
Pulling job listings from LinkedIn: Something ChatGPT and Gemini cannot do because they lack access to LinkedIn

Search shortcuts (Operators)

site: Search only within a specific website you define
after: Search only for information after a specific year
file: Search for a specific document, quote, or sentence from a large database (such as a PDF)
Academic mode: Information from academic sources only

The AI Master club opens the door for you: A live session every week, recordings, and a community. 47 ILS per month, cancel anytime.

The winning combo: Perplexity + NotebookLM

Perplexity versus other tools

What you get for free and when to upgrade

Free: Smart search, file uploads, a few Pro searches, and 3 Deep Research runs per day
Paid: More advanced models and unlimited deep research
Price: About 17 dollars per month, or 167 dollars per year for heavy users (deals for 9 dollars are sometimes available)
It is worth trying free Deep Research to see if it makes a significant difference for you compared to ChatGPT and Gemini

Frequently asked questions about Perplexity

Perplexity specializes in searching live internet data with citations for every claim, delivering more accurate and professional answers with fewer hallucinations. In addition, it is not locked into a single model, allowing you to choose ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, or Kimi. It can also pull data from places ChatGPT and Gemini cannot reach, such as LinkedIn job listings.

An in-depth research process where Perplexity scans dozens of websites, blogs, and databases, compares them, and returns a detailed report. What takes a human 6 to 7 hours of research is done in minutes. The free version includes 3 such researches per day.

Yes, you can search and receive answers in Hebrew. When combined with NotebookLM, you can also turn your research into a podcast and presentation in Hebrew.

No. Perplexity significantly reduces hallucinations and provides sources, but it can still make mistakes. Always verify against the sources it attaches, especially for health, legal, or financial decisions. Never treat AI information as absolute truth.

To some extent. It can pull data from academic databases and sometimes display an abstract of a study, but not always the full article, depending on the website. Professional medical research requires dedicated and closed tools.

No. Perplexity uses its capabilities to connect you to models, but it is not an integration with your existing subscription. Even if you have an advanced Gemini subscription, you will not get advanced access inside Perplexity through it.

The AI Master club holds a live weekly session with Amichai Shalev covering tools like Perplexity, NotebookLM, Claude, and automations, including how to combine them into workflows. Club members receive recordings, a prompt library, and an active community. 47 ILS per month, cancel with a click at any time.

If this summary helped you, save it, send it to a friend who does a lot of research, and see you at the next session.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Perplexity, ChatGPT, and Gemini?

What is Deep Research?

Does Perplexity work in Hebrew?

Yes, you can search and receive answers in Hebrew. When combined with NotebookLM, you can also turn your research into a podcast and presentation in Hebrew.

Can you trust the information without checking?

Does it have access to paid websites and academic databases?

Can I connect my ChatGPT or Gemini subscription to Perplexity?

No. Perplexity uses its capabilities to connect you to models, but this is not an integration with your existing subscription. Even if you have an advanced subscription to Gemini, you will not get advanced access through it inside Perplexity.

Where can you learn to integrate Perplexity with other tools?

In the AI Master club, a live weekly meeting is held with Amichai Shekel on tools like Perplexity, NotebookLM, Claude and automations, including how to combine them into workflows. Club members receive recordings, a prompt library and an active community. 47 ILS per month, cancel with a click at any time.

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