Perplexity's New AI Tool Can Now Use Your Mac To Do Tasks For You

Anthropic and OpenAI rival Perplexity has announced a new feature called Personal Computer. With this AI tool, the company is trying to change how you use your Mac completely. Instead of just answering questions like a chatbot, this new feature can actually do tasks for you across apps, files and even the web.The feature was first announced earlier in March and was available to a small group of users through a waitlist. Now, it is officially rolling out to Perplexity Max subscribers."Today, we’re beginning the rollout of Personal Computer. Personal Computer is a powerful expansion of Perplexity Computer. Personal Computer brings the multi-model orchestration of Computer to your machine. It can work across your local files, native applications,

connectors, and the web to complete complex and even continuous workflows," the company said in a blog post. What Is Personal ComputerPersonal Computer is an upgrade to Perplexity’s existing AI system but this time it works directly on your device. That means it is not limited to a chat window anymore. It can access your local files, Notes, apps, emails and connected services and use all of that together to complete tasks."For most of the last few decades, the personal computer has been a place where you manually moved between apps, files, tabs, and workflows. A modern computer does not just wait for instructions. It can understand an objective, break it into steps, and carry work across the tools where that work already happens," Perplexity said.

"That is what Personal Computer is for. It brings Perplexity Computer into a more useful place -- your own machine. It can work across local files, native apps, connectors, and the web in one system. It can help with tasks that are too messy for a chat box and too repetitive to keep doing by hand," the company explained.In simple words, most AI tools right now help you write, search, or generate content. But you still have to do the actual work -- open apps, move files, reply to messages. Personal Computer is trying to remove that extra effort.READ: Google Gemini Now Creates Images Based On Your Likes Without Detailed Prompts

For example, you can ask it to go through your to-do list and it won’t just read it -- it will try to complete those tasks. It can send messages, organise files, look up information online, and take action across apps.Another simple example: if your Downloads folder is messy, you can just tell it to clean it up. It will sort files into folders with proper names, instead of you doing it manually.How It worksThe US-based tech company says Personal Computer connects your local files, tools and apps with the Perplexity Computer system."One of the best ways to experience Personal Computer is on a Mac mini. On a mini, Personal Computer stays available 24/7 for work that needs a persistent machine or secure local access to your files and native apps. You can initiate tasks from your phone, or manage them on the go," the company said.- You can ask Personal Computer to read your to-do list. - In fact, you can ask it to DO your to-do list.READ: Anthropic Launches Claude Opus 4.7, AI That Can Double-Check Its Own Answers

- In Notes, just press both CMD keys to activate Personal Computer, and ask. - Computer will read your Notes to-do list, reason how to accomplish each task, and work across all of your local files, iMessage, email, connected apps, and the open web to get it done. - You can ask it to take a messy Downloads folder and sort it into clear project folders with sensible names and a structure that is easier to work with. - You can speak to it directly and have it carry out an action on your Mac.In terms of privacy and security, Perplexity also stressed that files are created in a secure sandbox. Actions are auditable and reversible.

"A system that acts on your behalf needs to be useful and legible. It should feel like a team you manage, not a rogue employee with keys to your most important data," the company said.Why This MattersFor years, using a computer was like managing everything yourself. Even now, most of that hasn’t changed. This is where AI is starting to bring changes. Instead of you doing everything step by step, the computer can now understand what you want and handle parts of the work on its own.