Automate Your Weekly Competitive Intelligence Briefing with Perplexity Computer

What You'll Learn

• Why competitive intelligence is the strongest first automation target for executives using Perplexity Computer
• How to configure Perplexity Computer for an overnight research run - full setup procedure
• The verbatim task prompt covering 3-5 competitors, 8-12 sources, and a four-section structured briefing
• How to review and calibrate the first output for accuracy and source coverage
• How to extend the same approach to regulatory monitoring, board briefing prep, and M&A signal tracking

Weekly competitive intelligence averages 60-90 minutes - and that number understates the real cost. Time pressure means it happens inconsistently, misses sources, and produces outputs that are less structured than they need to be for leadership decisions.

Perplexity Computer, launched February 25, runs autonomous multi-step research tasks for hours. The weekly competitive intelligence briefing is the most direct executive use case: define competitors, source categories, and output format. Run it overnight. Review a structured briefing in the morning. The setup takes 20 minutes.

This is a PromptHacker Premium article.

The full setup procedure, verbatim task prompt, and extensions to regulatory monitoring and board prep are available to Premium subscribers.

Why Competitive Intelligence Is the Best First Automation

Three properties make it the strongest fit: the source set is defined but wide (5 competitors, multiple source types, Perplexity Computer handles the breadth); the output format is consistent (same structure every week, standardizable in the task prompt); and the time window is bounded ("last 7 days" is a clean constraint Perplexity Computer handles reliably). The automation compounds in value every week without requiring reconfiguration.

Verbatim Task Prompt

Paste this into Perplexity Computer's task input field, replacing all bracketed fields with your specifics:

You are conducting a weekly competitive intelligence briefing for [describe your role and function]. Research and synthesize the following across the last 7 days: Competitors to monitor: 1. [Competitor 1 - include full legal name] 2. [Competitor 2] 3. [Competitor 3] 4. [Competitor 4, if applicable] 5. [Competitor 5, if applicable] For each competitor, search for: - Product launches or feature announcements - Pricing changes or packaging updates - Executive hires, departures, or notable statements - Regulatory filings, legal actions, or compliance news - Partner announcements, M&A signals, or funding news Sources to search: - Each company's official newsroom - Trade publications: [list 2-3 for your sector] - Regulatory filings database [specify yours] - LinkedIn: "[executive name] joined" or "left" signals - Google News: "[company] announcement" and "[company] partnership" per competitor Output format: Section 1: Executive Summary (100-150 words) Section 2: Competitor Signal Log (bullets, source URLs) Section 3: Items Requiring Strategic Response (2-3) Section 4: One Leadership Question for This Week

Review the first output manually, in full. Verify source dates, check for missing competitor sections, and adjust the prompt to add any sources that were absent. After one calibration run, set it as a weekly overnight scheduled task.

Action Steps

• Sign up for the Max plan ($200/month) at perplexity.ai. The feature is exclusive to Max; the Pro plan does not include Perplexity Computer.
• Prepare your competitor list and source categories before opening the task interface. Five minutes of preparation before the first run produces significantly better first-run output.
• Run the verbatim prompt above with your company-specific inputs. Run during business hours for the first time so you can monitor progress and intervene if the agent gets stuck on a source.
• Review the first output with source URLs visible. Verify each cited item is from a recognized source within the 7-day window. Adjust the prompt to add any sources that were missing.
• Schedule the weekly overnight run. Once calibrated, set the task for Sunday night so the briefing is ready Monday morning. Review takes approximately 10 minutes once the format is trusted.