Toronto’s 1Password is coming to Perplexity’s artificial intelligence (AI)-native web browser, Comet, through a new partnership.
“Comet is designed to make AI-powered browsing effortless and productive, but that experience only works if security is also built in from the start.”
Dmitry Shevelenko, Perplexity
Comet users can now navigate the internet with a 1Password browser extension that securely stores sensitive user information, such as account logins and credit cards, and automatically fills the data into online forms when needed.
Comet is based on the same Chromium browser code as Google Chrome, but operates more like an AI assistant with direct access to the internet. The browser offers a conversational interface for users to ask the browser to perform tasks, like check their email or retrieve information, rather than surfing the net themselves.
However, Comet requires that users give the AI assistant sensitive credentials. The partnership with 1Password protects that data using end-to-end encryption. When Comet needs personal context to complete a query, the data stays secure and never reaches Perplexity servers, according to a blog post.
“Comet is designed to make AI-powered browsing effortless and productive, but that experience only works if security is also built in from the start,” Perplexity chief business officer Dmitry Shevelenko said in a statement. “1Password [combines] privacy, transparency, and usability in a way that delivers both trust and a seamless user experience.”
RELATED: Longtime 1Password CEO Jeff Shiner moves to executive chair, hands reins to David Faugno
The partnership establishes a relationship between the Canadian company and one of the hottest AI startups in Silicon Valley. Perplexity reportedly raised $200 million USD at a $20 billion valuation last week. The fresh capital came less than three months after Perplexity secured funding at an $18 billion valuation. Perplexity has been actively striking deals to boost the visibility of its offering, including pre-installing its browser on Motorola phones and offering one free year of Perplexity Pro to customers of Canadian telecom Bell.
Adapting to the AI era has been a focus of 1Password this year. The company added new capabilities, designed to help customers manage AI agents more securely, to its Extended Access Management platform in April. David Faugno, then co-CEO, told BetaKit at the time that AI agents are often accessing and taking action with sensitive corporate credentials and data, creating an “unbelievable security risk.”
Faugno became 1Password’s sole CEO a few months later, as long-time leader Jeff Shiner shifted from his co-CEO role to executive chair. A 1Password spokesperson told BetaKit that Shiner would continue to focus on long-term strategy, product innovation, and AI, including “defining the future of security” and determining how agentic AI “changes security requirements.”
Feature image courtesy 1Password.