Perplexity makes GPT-6 Sol the default light option in its effort selector

Perplexity AI has quietly reshuffled how its Computer agent handles model selection, and the biggest beneficiary is OpenAI’s newest release. GPT-6 Sol is now the default model for the Light preset inside Perplexity’s new Effort Mode, a feature that rolled out between September 17 and 21, 2026, and is designed to take the guesswork out of picking the right AI tool for the job. The timing is deliberate. OpenAI launched GPT-6 Sol on September 16, 2026, positioning it as a more affordable alternative to the flagship GPT-6 Astra, which had debuted just two weeks earlier on September 3. Perplexity wasted roughly 24 hours before slotting it into the most-used tier of its effort selector. What Effort Mode actually does Think of Effort Mode as a thermostat for AI compute. Instead of asking users to manually choose between models, it presents a slider with four presets: Light, Standard, High, and Ultra. Each preset automatically selects both the underlying model and the reasoning depth appropriate for that task category. Light is optimized for speed and cost on routine queries. Effort Mode is currently live on the web. Mobile and desktop application support is planned but has not yet shipped...