Perplexity wants to buy TikTok and open-source its algorithm

Summary

• US-based AI start-up Perplexity has said it is in talks with investors for a funding round that would value it at $18bnandhasalsomadea$60bn bid for TikTok, suggesting it would be the “ideal acquirer” of the social network.
• Citing its independence from China, where ByteDance, owner of TikTok, is based, Perplexity said it planned to rebuild the app’s algorithm locally and make its recommendation engine open source.
• The start-up, which was founded in 2022, also claimed it would add citation features to videos, and integrate its search capabilities with TikTok’s library.
• It also proposed upgrading AI infrastructure and offering multilingual capabilities through translation.
• However, some commentators regard Perplexity’s bid as a publicity stunt, noting its previous use of commercials featuring a Squid Game actor and its claims to have hired actor Jimmy O. Yang as a Chief Security Officer.

By Kylie Robison

Original Article