AI company Perplexity bids to merge with TikTok to avoid ban: report [Video]

Artificial intelligence (AI) company Perplexity AI has bid to merge with TikTok U.S., so the video sharing platform can avoid being banned in the country, according to a report. 

The bid, made to the platform’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, would merge Perplexity AI, TikTok U.S. and new capital partners and would allow most ByteDance investors to keep their equity stakes, CNBC reported, citing a source familiar with the matter. 

Congress passed a ban on TikTok last year that goes into effect Sunday unless Chinese-owned ByteDance sells the company. 

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The White House has said President Biden won’t enforce the ban, and President-elect Trump said he would likely call for a 90-day reprieve on the ban, which is allowed by law. 

Still, ByteDance on Saturday said it planned to “go dark” Sunday unless the Biden administration gives “definitive” assurance that the ban won’t be enforced. 

Perplexity is …