Perplexity AI's Bird SQL is Twitter search on steroids
Twitter's advanced search has been called 'sub-standard' by many. The company's new CEO Elon Musk even joined hands with his nemesis George Hotz to fix the platform's broken search function. Now, Perplexity AI has found a fix for Twitter's search problem - an OpenAI-based search interface called 'Bird SQL' that can answer any query of yours with utmost precision.
Why does this story matter?
Bird SQL is an example of what Twitter's advanced search should be. Considering how much Musk has been talking about the need to improve the platform's search function, this third-party search engine comes at an opportune time. This could serve as a foundation upon which Twitter can build. Or, Musk may just acquire it and make it a part of Twitter.
What is Bird SQL?
Bird SQL is a structured search engine for Twitter. With the help of OpenAI codex, it translates natural language to SQL. What this does is it makes it easier to search large datasets such as Twitter with ease. Complicated queries, which are impossible to search with Twitter or conventional search engines, are the bread and butter of Bird SQL.
It's easier to search for something specific
Now that we have an understanding of Bird SQL, let's see what it does better. It makes searching for something specific easier. For instance, when you search "most liked tweets of all time," you'll see a list of 10 tweets topped by a tweet about actor Chadwick Boseman's passing. It is followed by Musk's famous 'cocaine in Coca-Cola' tweet.
You'll be able to analyze social graphs
With Bird SQL, you can also look for accounts to follow. All you have to do is enter the kind of accounts you're looking for. You can also analyze social graphs with Bird SQL. For example, searching "people followed by Jeff Bezos who don't follow him back" will get you a list comprising Barack Obama and Bill Gates, among others. Surprising, isn't it?
The search engine can show engagement history on Twitter
Bird SQL's wonders don't end there. With its help, you can filter down to the exact content you're curious about. "Tweets about Twitter liked by Elon Musk" will give you exactly what you're looking for. Similarly, the search engine can also tell you about people's engagement history on Twitter. It can search for your favorite topics as well.
Check out Perplexity AI's post about Bird SQL
Twitterati has been waiting for a search engine like this
Bird SQL may seem revolutionary. However, that's not the case. For those familiar with SQL, it is basic dynamic SQL generated using metadata. But it's not the technical side that makes Bird SQL revolutionary. It is what Twitterati has been hoping for a long time. The fact that Twitter themselves failed to make something similar is quite telling.
