Have you ever had a great idea and wondered, “Has someone already invented this?” Usually, finding out means digging through patent websites, which can be incredibly confusing if you’re not a lawyer or a specialized researcher.
An AI company called Perplexity, known for its powerful “answer engine,” has just released a new tool to fix this exact problem. It’s called Perplexity Patents, and it’s the world’s first AI assistant (or “agent”) built specifically to help you research patents.
Perplexity AI just launched Perplexity Patents!
— NearExplains AI (@nearexplains) October 30, 2025
1. It's a new AI agent for patent research.
2. Lets you search patents using simple, natural language.
3. Provides real-time citations from patents + papers.
It's available worldwide as a free beta for all users. pic.twitter.com/VucpmGMSFh
What’s the Big Deal?
The main goal of this new tool is to make finding patent information also known as “intellectual property” or IP easy for everyone, not just experts.
Instead of needing to know complicated legal terms or specific “keyword” search commands, you can now search for patents just by asking a question in plain English, like you’re talking to a person.
For example, you could simply ask, “Are there any patents on AI for language learning?” The tool is designed to understand what you mean and find the answers.
How Does It Work?
Perplexity Patents takes your simple question and does all the heavy lifting for you. Here’s what makes it so helpful:
- Search in Plain English: You don’t need to be an expert. You can ask questions in natural language, like “Show me patents for drone delivery systems” or “Who has a patent for a new type of solar panel?”
- Real, Trustworthy Sources: As the AI finds information, it will show you exactly where it got that info from. It provides real-time citations that link directly to the actual patents and scientific papers, so you can check the sources yourself.
- Helps You Find “Prior Art”: This is a very important term in the patent world. “Prior art” is just any evidence that an invention is already known and isn’t new. The tool helps you ask follow-up questions to dig deeper and uncover if an idea has already been made public.
- No More Confusing Keywords: This new tool is built on Perplexity’s “citation-first” approach. It’s designed to let you find what you’re looking for without having to guess the exact, complicated terms that patent lawyers use.
How Can You Use It?
The best part is that Perplexity is releasing this as a “beta” product. This just means it’s new and they are still testing it and gathering feedback from users.
While it’s in beta, Perplexity Patents is free for all users worldwide.
If you are already a paying subscriber to Perplexity (on their Pro or Max plans), you will get some extra perks, like being able to use it more often (higher usage quotas) and having more options to configure the AI models.
This new tool could be a game-changer for inventors, entrepreneurs, students, or anyone who is just curious about what new technologies are being created. It takes a very complicated process and makes it as simple as asking a question.
Source: Perplexity