Perplexity Launches Labs to Turn Ideas Into Finished Projects

Perplexity has introduced a new feature called Labs, now available to Pro subscribers. The new tool extends the company’s AI capabilities beyond answers and analysis, offering users a way to turn complex ideas into finished products—such as reports, dashboards, or even simple web apps.

This marks the latest evolution of the platform, which first launched as an AI-powered answer engine. After adding Deep Research for deeper analysis, Perplexity is now expanding again with Labs, aimed at people who want to not only understand something but build from it.

“Using Perplexity is like having a dedicated answer machine available to you 24/7. Using Labs is like having a team,” the company wrote.

What Perplexity Labs Can Do

Labs is designed for projects that require multiple steps, tools, and skill sets—tasks that would typically take hours or even days of work. The feature performs 10 minutes or more of self-directed activity, using a mix of:

• Deep web browsing

• Code generation and execution

• Image and chart creation

• Spreadsheet and document building

Perplexity Labs automates everything from research to delivery, enabling users to move directly from idea to execution with minimal manual input.

Projects are organized in a streamlined workspace with key features:

• Code Generation: Labs can write and run code to transform data, apply formulas, and generate visuals, spreadsheets, or documents.

• Assets Tab: All generated materials—like CSV files, charts, code snippets, and images—are saved in one place for easy review and download.

• Mini Apps: Labs can build simple interactive web apps, hosted directly inside the platform. These can include dashboards, slideshows, and websites, all without external tools.

Real-World Use Cases

Perplexity Labs supports a wide range of creative, analytical, and business-focused workflows. Examples shared by the company include:

• Finance: Develop a momentum trading strategy around specific stocks, events,a nd timing permutations based on historical data, creating an interactive dashboard.

• Creative: Develop a genre-blended film concept with visual storyboards and complete screenplay for a unique character archetype.

• Business: Generate a targeted prospect database with detailed company profiles and contact information for sales automation, matching specific business criteria and presented in an interactive format.

• Analysis: Create comparative data visualizations across time periods to analyze performance trends and provide explanatory insights.

Labs vs. Deep Research

While Deep Research—now simply called Research—offers quick, in-depth answers within 3-4 minutes, Labs is built for longer, more involved tasks. Labs sessions typically run for at least 10 minutes and offer broader output capabilities, including the generation of files and applications.

This positioning creates a new workflow spectrum across the Perplexity platform:

• Search: For fast, factual answers

• Research: For detailed explanations and synthesis

• Labs: For producing complex deliverables and apps

How to Access Labs

Pro users can start using Labs immediately through the mode selector in the input bar. Labs is currently available on the web, iOS, and Android, with Mac and Windows support coming soon.

To try it out, users can:

• Select "Labs" from the mode selector at perplexity.com

• Browse the updated Projects Gallery for examples

• Start with a simple to-do item and build from there

What This Means

Perplexity Labs represents a notable shift in how people can interact with AI—not just for answers, but for completing meaningful, multi-step work. Instead of stopping at search results or summaries, Labs moves into project execution, bridging research, coding, visualization, and light app development in a single flow.

This positions Perplexity alongside—but also apart from—other major AI platforms. Tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT (especially with its Code Interpreter and GPTs), Google’s Gemini, and Anthropic’s Claude can handle some similar tasks. However, Perplexity is presenting Labs as a more unified workspace—one where research, assets, and app outputs are all structured within a project-based environment, rather than as a series of one-off chats or responses.

That integration matters. It suggests a future in which generative AI tools function less like assistants and more like collaborative environments—capable of owning a workflow from start to finish. For individual users, this could mean shorter paths from idea to output. For teams and businesses, it could reduce the need to stitch together multiple tools to get things done.

The move reflects a growing trend in generative AI: not just informing decisions, but accelerating the work that follows.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.