SoftBank will offer free generative AI search service for a year

TOKYO (Jiji Press) – SoftBank Corp. announced Monday that it will offer a search service that uses generative artificial intelligence for free for a year to subscribers of its smartphone services.

Users of the mobile services SoftBank, Y!mobile and Linemo can use an AI-powered search engine developed by the American startup Perplexity.

When people enter a text question into the search engine, an answer is given in natural text based on the latest Internet information with a reference that allows users to confirm its reliability.

SoftBank will accept applications starting Wednesday for the search service’s free trial, which typically costs about ¥3,000 per month.

Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas told a news conference in Tokyo that the AI-powered search engine can allow users to quickly get answers to questions and use the time to focus on other tasks.