Highlights
- Ronaldo announces investment and global partnership with Perplexity AI on December (4).
- 'Cristiano Ronaldo 'digital hub to showcase two decades of footballer's career journey.
- Perplexity recently launched AI shopping assistant in US with PayPal payment integration.
Cristiano Ronaldo has announced his investment in Perplexity AI, the artificial intelligence start-up founded by Indian-origin entrepreneur Arvind Srinivas, marking a significant global partnership between the football legend and the tech company.
Perplexity said Ronaldo's partnership aligns "his legacy of self-improvement with an AI answer engine built for people who expect the same from their tools".
The company revealed the sportsman is an active user who "relies on Perplexity in high-stakes moments, including award speeches and major announcements".
Ronaldo, posting on social media platform X, said he was "proud" to announce the investment, describing it as the beginning of a longer-term vision.
Aravind Srinivas, CEO of the company, wrote in an Instagram post, "It’s an honor to be able to partner with @cristiano and welcome him as an investor to @perplexity".
The partnership centres on the Cristiano Ronaldo hub, bringing together more than two decades of Ronaldo's football journey into one immersive space.
The interactive experience will allow fans to explore his career, view rare images, browse curated questions, relive iconic goals and discover the stories behind them. Additional content, experiences and exclusive merchandise will follow throughout the partnership.
Perplexity launched a dedicated AI shopping assistant for US users. The feature, available on desktop and web applications with iOS and Android rollout planned over coming weeks, uses natural language prompts to provide personalised product recommendations.
Perplexity has partnered with PayPal to process payments, allowing retailers to remain the merchant of record with full visibility of customers. The company noted that customers using the conversational shopping experience demonstrate significantly higher purchase intention.
