Bharti Airtel has joined hands with US-based artificial intelligence startup Perplexity to provide its premium AI service, Perplexity Pro, free of cost for one year to all Airtel users across India. While Perplexity already offers a free version with basic search functionalities, the Pro subscription includes advanced features targeted toward professionals and users with high AI usage needs. Typically, the annual subscription to Perplexity Pro costs around ₹17,000, but under this new partnership, Airtel customers can access it at no charge for a full year.

Perplexity functions similarly to popular AI tools like ChatGPT by OpenAI and Gemini by Google. It serves as a smart assistant that can help users with research, planning, content generation, and more. Bharti Airtel, which has over 360 million customers across mobile, broadband, and DTH services, announced that this offer will be available to all its subscribers.

To access the free Perplexity Pro subscription, users need to log in to the Airtel Thanks app. In the app, they must scroll down to the ‘Subscriptions’ section and tap on the ‘Claim Now’ button next to the Perplexity Pro listing. After clicking on the button, they will be redirected to another page where they must once again select ‘Claim Now.’ Following that, they must proceed by entering a valid email address. An OTP (One-Time Password) will be sent to the provided email ID, and after entering this OTP, the Pro subscription will be activated. Once completed, users can use Perplexity Pro both on the website and through the mobile app.

In terms of capabilities, the free version of Perplexity allows users to perform unlimited basic searches, retain their search history, and perform limited Pro-level queries and file uploads. It restricts advanced features such as image generation, in-depth reasoning tools, and access to higher-tier AI models. The Pro version, however, unlocks unlimited advanced searches, access to premium AI models, image generation capabilities, and supports unlimited file uploads for analysis. It also provides users with $5 worth of Sonar API credits each month for AI development, along with priority support through platforms like Discord and Intercom. Pro users can upload up to 100 files per workspace, making it suitable for heavy professional use. This collaboration marks a significant move in making powerful AI tools more accessible to a wider audience in India.