AI conversational search engine Perplexity wants to help keep you updated about the election this year and has introduced a new Election Information Hub designed to do just that. The hub uses Perplexity's AI tools to bring real-time information to visitors.
Perplexity sees the hub as a seed for future voter awareness and participation, one that has accessible information on candidates, ballot measures, and results and that can prove AI won't fall into hallucinations around important, fast-changing subjects like elections.
You can find all kinds of election-related information on the platform. Perplexity limits its sources to reputable providers like The Associated Press and Democracy Works to ensure there aren't any wrong or made-up answers from the AI about the election and various other votes. The hub includes data on state and federal elections as well as propositions on the ballot in different states. Real-time tracking ensures that users are informed as things change.
"We want to do our part to support an informed electorate, so we’ve built the election hub on Perplexity’s answer engine: an entry point for understanding key issues, voting intelligently, and tracking election results," Perplexity explained in an announcement. "We answer your election-related questions using a curated set of the most trustworthy and informative sources."
AI election advice
The hub is fairly easy to use, especially if you've played with Perplexity and its AI search engine. It launched only a few days ago, limiting the utility of information on voting requirements, polling places and times, and related details. But, those elements will be a boon to users in future votes.
The AI also helps summarize ballot measures and candidate profiles, including official policy positions and who has endorsed the measures and candidates. That's a good resource when there's a cavalcade of information for each election. You can use the hub without a subscription to Perplexity's premium services, another point of accessibility Perplexity hopes will encourage people to try out the hub. And, it doesn't seem to bring in sponsored follow-up questions, which makes sense as it would run somewhat counter to the non-partisan, informative tone Perplexity is going for.
"We want to make it as simple as possible to receive trusted, easy-to-understand information to inform your voting decisions. For each response, you can view the sources that informed an answer, allowing you to dive deeper and verify referenced materials," Perplexity wrote. "Whether you're seeking to understand complex ballot measures, verify candidate positions, or simply find your polling place, Perplexity is here to support your civic engagement."
