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Virgin Media O2 offers free AI search assistant

November 21, 2024

Virgin Media O2 has partnered with Perplexity – the AI-powered search engine – to offer its customers free access to Perplexity Pro, an advanced AI-powered research assistant.

Perplexity Pro (which usually costs over £150 per year) is available to all O2 and Virgin Media broadband customers via Priority from now until May 2025.

The new Priority reward comes as research from Virgin Media O2 reveals that 73 per cent of Brits are increasingly open to using AI, with 61 per cent of those surveyed having used it in the past six months and 71 per cent stating that AI is making them better at their job. Half of Brits even admit to AI improving their life at home.

Perplexity Pro offers users advanced research capabilities for one of the most common activities done every day: searching for information online. But rather than just sharing a list of links to different websites, Perplexity provides fast, clear answers with in-line citations and uses powerful AI models to provide detailed answers.

The survey findings also uncover the top things that AI embracing Brits are using it for, from product reviews to travel and even dating advice:

  • 76 per cent: to help with everyday tasks (reminders and organisation)
  • 67 per cent: finding reliable product reviews and comparisons
  • 59 per cent: getting travel recommendations and planning trips
  • 41 per cent: getting personal and relationship advice

Those surveyed stated that they would consider using AI to help with managing money (56 per cent), writing a break-up text (21 per cent) and helping to train and communicate with their pets (15 per cent) – suggesting that Brits are welcoming the technology as an everyday tool.

Lisa Johnstone, Director, Priority, Loyalty & Reward at Virgin Media O2, commented: “Priority is committed to helping our members get the most out of life and get the best value from us, so we are thrilled to introduce our latest Perplexity Pro reward. With more and more of us embracing AI to improve the way we work, shop and travel, the technology is becoming helpful in everyday digital life and we’re here to help our members navigate it with confidence. Whether our members want to plan a holiday or save money on their weekly shopping list, our new Perplexity Pro reward is like having an expert in your pocket to find the best deals and manage day-to-day needs. And save members over £150 in the process.”

Dmitry Shevelenko, Chief Business Officer of Perplexity, added: “Everyone deserves instant, reliable answers to their questions without needing to sift through endless web pages and SEO-driven content. Instead, Perplexity delivers this experience in a way that prioritises trust and the user experience. Virgin Media O2 not only makes it possible for people to use Perplexity on their devices, but they are also taking their commitment to their subscribers a step further by giving them Perplexity Pro free for a year.”

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