Perplexity now lets AI agents keep working as standing colleagues, for Max subscribers only for now
Teammates are given a role and a goal, keep an eye on connected tools and only ask for input when a decision is needed.
Perplexity on Thursday launched Teammates, AI agents that do not wait for a question but are given an ongoing job. A user gives each agent a role, standing instructions, tools and rules for when it should bring in a human. According to ShiftDelete, the agents work proactively: they monitor connected services and act when something changes.
The agents build on Perplexity Computer, the service that according to AlphaSignal picks from nineteen AI models for each subtask, and inherit the user's projects, skills and memory. They can hand work to one another and contact colleagues or monitor channels through Slack. In a demonstration, an agent acting as an on-call engineer spotted a spike in server errors after an update and proposed a pull request with a plan to roll back the change.
Each agent runs on its own isolated computer with a separate desktop, browser and cookies, and the user can watch or take over at any time. Credentials are encrypted and hidden from the agents. Teammates is available as a preview on the web for individual subscribers to Max, which costs 200 dollars a month; iOS and Android apps will follow later. Usage is deducted from the monthly credit allowance, and ShiftDelete warns that running many agents at once can drain it quickly.