Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas predicts a complete revolution in the future of work, beginning with one prompt. He said that Perplexity's AI-driven browser, Comet, is under development to automate complete workflows, starting with recruitment and executive support.
From Smart Search to Intelligent Agent
Perplexity's goal is more than mainstream search. With Comet, they envision building a completely autonomous AI agent, a digital assistant able to perform multi-step tasks end-to-end. On his recent visit to The Verge's "Decoder" podcast, Srinivas said the browser is the logical entry point because it's already at the center of each knowledge worker's day.
By combining secure access to applications such as Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Sheets, Comet can manage it all from finding candidates to booking meetings.
Srinivas outlined a recruitment example: the AI finds qualified engineers on LinkedIn, writes customized cold emails, monitors replies, and books appointments, all autonomously.
White-Collar Jobs Will See Some Changes
This level of automation isn't just about convenience. What Srivinas foresees is a paradigm shift in white-collar work. Tasks once performed manually over days or weeks could be reduced to a single AI prompt. Srinivas sees the human role evolving from task execution to outcome definition, effectively turning professionals into AI orchestrators.
The same can be said for executive assistants. With browser-based access, Comet could automatically resolve calendar clashes, handle communications, and provide meeting briefs.
Srivinas clarified that this isn't about performing tasks. Instead, it's about completing jobs.
Six Months to Total Automation?
According to Gizmodo, Srinivas predicts next-generation large language models such as GPT-5 or Claude 4.5 coming in, and these long-horizon workflows becoming accessible by early next year.
"I'm pretty sure six months to a year from now, it can do the entire thing."
If his estimate is accurate, that would be a disruption on the scale of recruiting, HR, admin, and more, years ahead of 2026.
The Browser as a Digital Operating System
In the future, Srinivas imagines Comet developing from a tool into a browser's operating system, where AI processes run in the background.
Users would initiate several assistant tasks, then "go do other things" while AI does the work. This ongoing automation improvement changes productivity to be both continuous and passive.
Productivity or Displacement
Whereas Srinivas offers a utopian vision—AI liberating humans to pursue recreation and innovation. Others point out the potential for mass displacement. For millions of professionals, automation may represent more than efficiency; it may represent job loss.
For Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, AI can exceed what humans can do by 2027. However, this would walk without any repercussions, including complete reliance on AI robotics.
Meanwhile, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai has a different opinion. He said that AI won't kill jobs. Instead, it will generate jobs. Point taken, Pichai is confident that AI layoff fears won't happen.
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