Perplexity has expanded its Computer product with Automations, a feature for running recurring work on a schedule or responding to events in connected applications. The October 5 product update also adds inline interactive visualizations, access to GPT-6.1 Sol and Claude Opus 5.5 for eligible paid users, new video-generation options, and business Skills curated with American Express. The release is a broad product update rather than a single model launch, with Automations positioned as the main workflow change.
Automations are designed for tasks that continue beyond a single prompt. Perplexity says users can schedule recurring work or trigger actions when events occur in connected apps. The system can use Memory, Skills and connectors, build on earlier runs, and pause for human review before consequential actions. Examples provided by the company include monitoring housing listings and price cuts, reacting to supplier-delay emails, and preparing follow-up work when a customer has not replied. These examples illustrate the intended agentic behavior, but they are product scenarios rather than independent demonstrations of reliability.
The update also introduces interactive visualizations directly inside Computer threads. Perplexity says users can generate charts, explore three-dimensional explanations and create market visualizations using TradingView Lightweight Charts. This shifts some analysis from static prose toward interactive artifacts that can be explored in the same workspace. The company is simultaneously changing the model mix: GPT-6.1 Sol is available to eligible paid subscribers and powers Light effort in Computer, while Claude Opus 5.5 powers Standard effort for eligible paid personal accounts.
Perplexity is also adding video generation with MiniMax H3 and Seedance 2.5, according to the changelog, and is exposing American Express-curated business Skills. Taken together, the release makes Computer look less like a one-shot research interface and more like an environment for persistent work that can combine models, connected applications, scheduled execution and generated artifacts. The exact availability of individual capabilities depends on subscription eligibility and product configuration.
The most consequential part is Automations because it changes the operating model from user-initiated sessions to work that can continue on a schedule or react to external events. That increases the usefulness of Computer for ongoing workflows, but it also raises the importance of permission boundaries, review steps and dependable state handling. Perplexity explicitly says Automations can pause for review before consequential actions, which is an important control. Independent evidence remains limited at launch, however. A targeted search found secondary material describing the feature, but not sufficiently strong independent testing to validate reliability, security or long-running execution claims, so those questions remain open.