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Perplexity Computer: The Safer Alternative to OpenClaw Arrives

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Perplexity Computer: The Safer Alternative to OpenClaw Arrives

Perplexity, the AI-powered answer engine that positioned itself as a Google Search challenger, was conspicuously absent from the agentic AI conversation for weeks. While tools like Claude Code, Codex, and the viral open-source OpenClaw dominated headlines, CEO Aravind Srinivas had gone unusually quiet.

The company was not lost. It was busy building.

This week, Perplexity launched Computer — a new product designed to turn powerful but intimidating agent tools into something closer to a shared digital workspace that non-experts can actually use. Available now to Perplexity Max subscribers, with broader rollout to Pro and Enterprise users planned in coming weeks.

Orchestrating 19 Models

The defining feature of Computer is that it is not tied to one AI model. Different parts of a task can be routed to whichever model does them best. The system currently orchestrates 19 models on the backend, including Claude Opus 4.6 for orchestration and coding, Google Gemini for deep research, Google Nano Banana for images, Google Veo 3.1 for video, xAI Grok for speed in lightweight tasks, and ChatGPT 5.2 for long-context recall and wide search.

According to Srinivas, the philosophy mirrors how humans build teams. When you build a team, you do not build a homogenous group where everyone has the same skills. You build a team with diverse strengths. We are applying that same logic to AI workflows. The orchestration is the product. The model is a tool.

Safety Over Power

Srinivas drew a sharp contrast with tools like OpenClaw, which typically run on a local machine with broad access to files, passwords, and settings. He compared that approach to malware because of how easily it can damage data or expose sensitive information. A recent incident saw an OpenClaw agent delete a user emails against her will.

Perplexity approach keeps the work in the cloud instead — inside a locked-down environment, carrying out tasks in the background more like assigning work to a coworker on Slack than watching an AI take over your screen.

According to the company, this creates a system that is safer and more dependable.

The OpenClaw Problem

OpenClaw, the viral open-source agent tool, impressed with its capabilities — it could research, code, and execute tasks autonomously for hours or even days without direct user input. But it came with significant risks: serious errors, vulnerability to prompt injection, and exposure through a Wild West of unverified plugins.

Ars Technica noted that if OpenClaw was the open web of AI agent tools, Computer is Apple App Store. Users are more limited in what they can do, but they are not trusting packages from unverified sources with access to their system.

The competition is heating up. OpenAI hired OpenClaw developer Johan Sayeed, with CEO Sam Altman suggesting that some of what OpenClaw demonstrated will be essential to the company product vision.

Perplexity is betting that not everyone wants the raw power of OpenClaw. Some users just want to get work done safely.

Sources