Perplexity AI, an artificial intelligence firm based in San Francisco, is set to introduce a feature that will enable users in India to track the stock holdings of politicians. This announcement was made by CEO Aravind Srinivas, who confirmed the rollout via a post on X.
In his response to an inquiry about tracking the investments of Indian politicians, Srinivas stated, “Holdings of Indian politicians coming in a few weeks.” Currently, Perplexity Finance offers a similar service for American politicians, allowing users to view their trading activities and investments. The anticipated feature aims to enhance financial transparency within the political sphere in India, the world”s largest democracy.
Perplexity Finance provides two main methods for users to monitor the trading activities and holdings of U.S. politicians. The first method involves an in-company search, where users can select a publicly listed company and view its shareholders. For example, to see which politicians hold shares in Amazon Inc, users can navigate to the company”s page, click on “Holders,” and filter for politicians. This reveals a list of notable figures, including Democrats such as Nancy Pelosi and Republicans like Tim Scott.
The second method allows users to search directly for a specific politician, displaying their trading history across various companies chronologically. This feature is particularly popular among users who value transparency in political financial dealings.
The upcoming launch of a similar system for India has generated significant interest among social media users. Many expressed excitement about the potential for real financial disclosures, with comments such as, “Excited to see real financial disclosures soon” and “Please make it fast!” However, some users expressed skepticism regarding the effectiveness of such a system in India, citing concerns that many politicians may not invest under their own names, often holding assets through relatives or aliases.
As the launch approaches, there are mixed feelings about the implications of increased financial transparency. Some netizens worry that a transparent financial disclosure system could lead to challenges for Perplexity, potentially even resulting in a ban in India due to political resistance. One user cautioned, “Aravind, better not to get into dirty waters with the Babus. Otherwise, the public might have to lose another great product to “policy”.”
While a specific launch date has not been provided, Srinivas has assured that the feature will be available in the coming weeks, suggesting that Indian users may gain access before the end of the year.
