Perplexity AI, the innovative artificial intelligence search startup, has announced its plan to provide a free pro version of its platform for students across India. During a recent virtual session with Vijay Shekhar Sharma, the founder and CEO of Paytm, Perplexity's co-founder and CEO Aravind Srinivas revealed their ambitious goal to support educational access by eliminating the costs associated with advanced features typically found in AI applications.
"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 no student has to pay for the pro version of Perplexity anywhere in the world," Srinivas stated, expressing his commitment to making knowledge accessible for the youth of India.
The pro version of Perplexity contains functionalities beyond its free offering, including advanced image generation tools and unlimited file uploads. While the current pro version carries a price tag of $20 per month, the introduction of this free plan aims to bridge the gap for students who might otherwise struggle to access these technological resources.
Srinivas explained the motivation behind this initiative, saying, "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." By working closely with student organizations, Perplexity hopes to create not just awareness, but also eagerness and excitement about utilizing AI for academic success.
Interestingly, the demand for affordable AI solutions has intensified with the entry of Chinese platform DeepSeek, prompting discussions around how to make AI technology accessible at lower costs. During this period, Indian developers had also raised similar concerns about affordability and accessibility during OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's visit to India earlier this month. Srinivas pointed out challenges with payment integration, particularly with apps like Paytm, which could provide services more efficiently if the proper technology is developed. "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," he mentioned.
Continuing on the theme of future ambitions, Srinivas emphasized the pressing need for India to develop its foundational AI models to remain competitive globally. His comments came as part of the recent launch event announcing Perplexity's collaboration with Paytm. "It’s important to have the skill set to compete on the same benchmarks as everyone else. India needs the capability to train models independently," he argued. This proactive approach, he believes, will help create not only talented engineers but also inspire the next generation to aim for excellence.
Srinivas's ideas represented a counterpoint to opinions among industry leaders like Nandan Nilekani, who posited during discussions the notion of focusing solely on practical AI applications without building foundational models. Srinivas took to social media to articulate his disagreement, stating, "He's wrong on pushing Indians to ignore model training skills and just focus on building on top of existing models. Essential to do both." This debate highlights the division among leaders on the best pathways for India's AI future.
Perplexity AI's aspirations are not just rooted within the technology they plan to develop but extend to how they intend to infuse AI within the broader Indian community. Recently meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sri Srinivas was struck by Modi's clear grasp of AI's potential. "What amazed me was his level of preparedness" on AI's global standing, he said.
He added, “PM Modi had special insights on how AI can reference India’s ancient scientific knowledge — our Vedic mathematics, literature, and other traditional tech — and bring it to the modern era.” The Prime Minister's vision seeks to transcend the speed of task completion and instead encourage genuine curiosity among users. Srinivas echoed this sentiment, stating, “He wants AI to work across all Indian languages with minimal learning barriers.”
Perplexity's pilot initiative is set to take broader shape with its commitment to ICT institutions, like the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M), where free access to the pro version is currently being explored. "We ran an inter-college program in the US last year, and now we’re doing the same at IITs. The goal is to understand the nuances and learn from mistakes,” Srinivas elaborated.
“We’re already working with student groups on WhatsApp and targeting close to one million sign-ups by mid-March. Our vision is simple: no student should have to pay for the Pro version of Perplexity. We want to make AI-driven knowledge accessible to all students in India.” He stated, highlighting the impact of equitable access to technology.
Looking beyond the academic segment, Srinivas noted how their collaboration with Paytm might develop even more innovative solutions. The ability to merge AI with payment systems could offer novel shopping experiences within the Perplexity platform. “India is one of the most curious countries and Perplexity is a solution to fit this curiosity,” he enthusiastically declared.
Srinivas remains optimistic about the integration of payment systems such as Paytm. "Give us a few weeks. We work with the Stripe API right now, it may be difficult to have Paytm UPI integrated at this time, but hope to figure out how to make our product more affordable and accessible soon," he added.
While the imagery of what lies just beyond this horizon remains tentative, the commitment to transform how students engage with AI technology stands clear. By making such powerful tools available for free, Perplexity AI is paving the way for generations of learners to thrive.