### AI Search Engine Perplexity Seeks $8 Billion Valuation Amid Fundraising Efforts

Perplexity, an AI-driven search engine, is in discussions to secure funding with a target valuation of $8 billion, reports the Wall Street Journal. The company aims to raise roughly $500 million, a move that would significantly elevate its previous valuation of $3 billion, achieved during a summer fundraising round with SoftBank.

The AI platform currently processes approximately 15 million queries daily and has an estimated annual revenue of $50 million. Perplexity’s unique approach leverages AI to facilitate web searches through a chatbot-style interface, enhancing user interaction and search efficiency.

However, the company has faced criticism from news publishers over allegations of unauthorized web scraping and plagiarism. The New York Times has even issued a cease-and-desist letter to Perplexity. Despite these challenges, CEO Aravind Srinivas remains optimistic, expressing a willingness to collaborate with publishers and stating that he has "no interest in being anyone's antagonist."

The fundraising initiative follows OpenAI's recent announcement of a $6.6 billion round at a staggering $157 billion valuation. Similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT, which merges chatbot functionalities with search capabilities, Perplexity aims to innovate within the search engine domain.

Perplexity has not yet responded to requests for comment from TechCrunch regarding the ongoing fundraising efforts.