Telefónica has also signed a global commercial agreement with Perplexity to bring its AI search app to customers in Brazil, the UK and Spain.
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“The investment in Perplexity is part of one of the new keys of Wayra’s investment strategy in leading technology markets such as the US, in high-growth companies with global presence and reach, and leaders in technologies such as AI,” said Chema Alonso, chief digital data of Telefónica.
Perplexity has built a search app that lets users submit search requests more conversationally.
Where traditional search would require potentially multiple searches to get a specific answer, Perplexity is designed to output responses to user queries in real-time while also providing context as to where it found the relevant information.
Wayra said Perplexity’s AI app will “revolutionise the way users find information on the Internet by allowing users to ask questions directly and receive clear and concise answers from a curated set of relevant sources.”
“With this commercial agreement, we are also reinforcing Telefónica’s commitment to integrating cutting-edge technologies into the company and offering transformative experiences like Perplexity’s ‘answer engine’ to our customers,” Alonso added.
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Telefónica launched the first Perplexity experience designed for television. The TV-focused app for Movistar Plus+ allows customers to intuitively search using their remote’s voice functionality through the Aura button, with the app generating text answers in real-time, displayed on the screen and also spoken.
Beyond bringing Perplexity to customers across Brazil, the UK and Spain, Telefónica said it’s also exploring bringing the AI search app to other countries.
Telefónica joins rival telcos like SoftBank and Deutsche Telekom in bringing the AI-powered search app to mobile users.
The company joins previous investors including Nvidia, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Databricks, and billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller in backing the startup, which valued itself at $3 billion back in June.
“This investment from Wayra not only validates our AI-powered approach but also opens up exciting opportunities for global expansion,” said Aravind Srinivas, co-founder and CEO of Perplexity.
“We look forward to continuing to partner with Telefónica to push the boundaries of what’s possible in AI-driven information discovery and to create transformative experiences for users worldwide.”
