Perplexity, a conversational AI (artificial engine) search engine is planning to offer its Pro version free for students in India. However, the free version has limited functionalities. Users with paid plans will be able to add image generation tools, opt for unlimited file upload, and do more.

During an online session with Paytm founder & CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Perplexity Cofounder and CEO Aravind Srinivas shared the company’s goal to make its pro version free of charge for Indian students.

He said, “We are working with a student group on WhatsApp. We are aiming for close to a million sign-ups by mid-March. Our goal is to make sure that no student has to pay for a pro version of Perplexity anywhere in the world. If you put out a slogan where knowledge begins then you have to be serious about it. Knowledge matters most to the student. We want to bring it to India for students”.

The outbreak of DeepSeek, a Chinese AI platform has fueled the demand for the development of low-cost AI.

Srinivas said, “We are figuring out a way to make the pro plan widely accessible to everybody without them having to pay $20 equivalent… give us a few months, or even a few weeks, to figure it out. These things are moving really fast. I don’t want to give you a poor timeline here,”

Responding to a question if the AI app can be subscribed through Paytm, Srinivas said, “The UPI or Paytm payment app, the fundamental model there is, we work around with the stripe APIs, and I think it’s pretty difficult to accept those kinds of payments right now. I hope we can figure our solution together pretty soon”.

Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/artificial-intelligence/perplexity-plans-to-make-pro-version-of-ai-platform-free-for-indian-students/articleshow/118607030.cms?from=mdr