The popular WhatsApp bot from Perplexity AI has gone dark, at least for the time being. The quick-growing AI startup, famed for its AI-powered search engine, has just shut down its new WhatsApp channel after experiencing an influx in usage
CEO Aravind Srinivas posted to X about the sudden takedown, which has many people wondering where things went wrong and when it might return.
What’s the Update?
Perplexity AI has temporarily disabled its new “WhatsApp bot” after the company was overwhelmed with the amount of users who jumped on the platform.
A few hours before the takedown, Aravind Srinivas had raised several queries with the bot’s official number (+1 833 436 3285) posted on X, asking the users to send viral or suspicious texts to get them fact-checked in no time. This bot, dedicated to combating misinformation on WhatsApp and specifically focused on communities where false forwards spread like wildfire, didn’t take long to catch on.
But it appears the reaction was far larger than expected. Some weeks prior, Perplexity stopped serving requests but continued to work behind the scenes on scaling up infrastructure as questions from the internet just kept flooding in: “The volume of incoming queries was way beyond what we expected,” says Srinivas.
One user who had a similar query was assured in a follow-up post by Srinivas:
“We’ve had to take it down temporarily. Working to bring it back as soon as possible.”
The fact-checking feature was the standout, but it’s not clear if that alone drove the flood of activity or if other services included in the bot added to the stress. The WhatsApp bot is offline at the time of writing and there doesn’t seem to be a time frame on when it will be back on either.
Why Does it Matter?
It’s more than just a small hiccup, the temporary shutdown of these services is an indicator of the growing hunger for AI-driven tools, particularly in markets like India where WhatsApp serves as a digital lifeline.
More than 400 million Indians use WhatsApp. Against such a backdrop, a tool like Perplexity’s bot providing instantaneous fact-checks represents a game-changer. From combating fake news to verifying viral claims, it could assist millions in making more well-informed decisions. That’s why its sudden disappearance has proved so eye-catching.
It also illustrates the kind of obstacles that fast-growing A.I. startups can encounter: rapid scale, unforeseen demand and the need to deliver without suffering technical breakdowns. Its tool received overwhelming interest within hours, which is impressive, but the fact that it collapsed under all the traffic shows how critical it is to scale smartly.
Also from a broader perspective, it is a reminder of the increasing integration of AI tools into our daily communication platforms. As disinformation becomes more challenging to contain, tools that provide access to where the conversations, which are more difficult to manage are taking place, in this instance, WhatsApp, may be the linchpin of the next wave of digital literacy efforts.
But tech, however smart, is always dependent on a good backend. And that’s where Perplexity ran into a snag.
Final Thoughts
Perplexity’s move to put its WhatsApp bot on hold just days after launching is an illustration both of the promise and pitfalls of being a quick mover. The company has certainly touched a nerve with users who are searching for smarter ways to slice through noise and misinformation, but the deluge of demand also tells me that there’s plenty of room for a more robust infrastructure behind the scenes.
For users, it’s really just a temporary blow. For Perplexity, it’s a learning experience that will likely inform how they build and deploy future integrations.
The good news? This is not a shutdown, it’s a pause. And if the team comes back stronger, this bot potentially could soon become a new weapon in the war on fake news, especially in countries like India that are crying out for digital literacy tools.
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