Google has recently launched Learn About, a conversation-based learning companion, as part of its experiments exploring the capabilities of generative AI. This tool is expected to be positioned as a direct rival to Perplexity, which is often marketed as the go-to knowledge discovery tool on the internet. Currently available only in the United States, Learn About helps users dive deep into a topic by providing interactive lists, timelines, quizzes, and other intuitive modules. It also suggests related topics and follow-up questions, making it a comprehensive learning tool. However, Learn About is different from Google’s AI overviews, which often present a choice overload for users. While Perplexity is preferred over Google Search for this reason, it remains to be seen if Google’s new tool will be able to compete. With Perplexity on a funding spree and set to raise $500 million, it will be interesting to see if Google can establish itself as a rival in this space. However, there are concerns about copyright and plagiarism issues between publishers and Google, and it is important for Google to address these issues in its approach to extracting knowledge from the web.
