A bold new claim by Perplexity AI’s CEO has sent shockwaves through the tech and corporate worlds. Aravind Srinivas believes that a new tool developed by his company could soon replace two of the most vital white-collar roles in the modern workplace. The product in question? An AI-native browser named Comet, and he claimed that it’s not your average chatbot.

Unveiled in detail on The Verge’s Decoder podcast, Comet has been designed to go far beyond simple web queries or conversational AI. Unlike traditional AI assistants, Srinivas says Comet is built to perform full-scale operational tasks, essentially acting like a silent digital worker running continuously in the background. Sound familiar? Srinivas’s claim came just after OpenAI introduced its new AI agent that can autonomously perform tasks using a virtual computer, marking a major step toward more human-like, task-oriented artificial general intelligence.

So, what makes it stand out? Srinivas described how Comet is integrated with widely used platforms like Google Calendar, Gmail, and LinkedIn. Through these connections, it can source job candidates, fetch contact information, and send tailored outreach emails, functions typically managed by recruitment professionals. According to a Business Insider report, these capabilities are not theoretical. They’re already built into the product.

Roles under threat

Srinivas didn’t mince words about which jobs he believes are at risk. Executive assistants and recruiters, he said, are the two roles Comet is designed to make redundant. Still in its invite-only phase, Comet is pitched as a tool capable of replacing the core daily functions of these positions.

For executive assistants, Comet can manage calendars, prepare meeting materials, triage emails, and resolve scheduling conflicts, all through natural language prompts. “A recruiter’s work worth one week is just one prompt: sourcing and reach outs,” Srinivas explained.

He went on to outline how the AI browser can track candidate replies, update progress in Google Sheets, handle follow-ups, and even provide a pre-meeting briefing, effectively covering the full recruitment lifecycle.

Srinivas envisions Comet becoming an AI “operating system” for office work, capable of executing commands from prompts and running automated tasks behind the scenes. While it remains accessible only to premium users for now, the company is betting that users will happily pay for a browser that gets actual work done rather than simply offering information.

AI taking over roles at work: True or false

Srinivas’ comments add fuel to an ongoing debate in the tech industry: Will AI replace or simply reshape the workforce?

Dario Amodei, CEO of AI firm Anthropic, has publicly predicted that up to 50 per cent of entry-level office jobs could vanish within five years. Echoing that sentiment, Ford’s CEO Jim Farley suggested at the Aspen Ideas Festival that half of all white-collar jobs in the US are under threat from artificial intelligence.

Not everyone shares that bleak outlook. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said AI has transformed his own job but framed it as evolution, not extinction. Salesforce boss Marc Benioff has also stressed that AI is a tool for augmentation, not elimination.

Even so, there’s a consensus that AI is changing the workplace at breakneck speed. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy recently urged his staff to learn, experiment with, and adopt AI tools, warning that failure to adapt could lead to redundancy as automation takes hold.

As AI tools like Comet continue to evolve, the lines between human and machine labour in office settings are growing increasingly blurred. Whether Comet becomes a digital co-worker or a job replacement engine, one thing is certain that the white-collar world is on the cusp of dramatic change.

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