Yahoo Scout Debuts as AI Answer Engine to Rival Google and Perplexity
Yahoo has stepped into the intensifying AI search race with the launch of Yahoo Scout, a new AI-powered “answer engine” designed to deliver direct responses instead of traditional lists of blue links. Currently available in beta for users across the United States, the tool positions itself as a strong contender against Google’s AI Mode, Perplexity, and ChatGPT’s real-time search capabilities.
With Scout, Yahoo is reimagining how people interact with search. Instead of requiring users to sift through multiple websites, the system aims to generate clear, summarised answers to natural-language questions. The company says the engine blends data from the open web, Yahoo’s own ecosystem, and user insights to create fast, easy-to-understand responses.
According to Yahoo, Scout is powered by an extensive foundation of information, including over 30 years of search history, 500 million user profiles, and a knowledge graph that spans more than one billion entities. The goal is to make searches feel less like browsing and more like getting straight answers.
The platform is designed for everyday tasks as well. Users can check weather forecasts before planning a trip, follow stock price movements after earnings announcements, compare products before making a purchase, verify news claims, or catch up on sports updates — all without hopping between multiple pages.
Jim Lanzone, CEO of Yahoo, while talking about the new feature in a release, said, “Search is fundamentally changing, and our team has been inspired to use our decades of experience and extremely rare assets to create something uniquely useful for Yahoo’s hundreds of millions of monthly users.”
He added, “This beta launch is just the starting point. From search to our industry-leading verticals, Yahoo Scout will help our users accomplish their goals online faster and better than ever before,” he added.
Behind the scenes, Yahoo has partnered with AI firm Anthropic, using its Claude model as Scout’s primary foundation. At the same time, Yahoo is relying on Microsoft’s Bing grounding API to ensure answers are backed by reliable web sources. This combination aims to balance generative AI capabilities with credible information.
Scout also introduces several specialised features. A new shopping tool condenses insights from expert reviews and articles, helping users quickly compare products and access purchase links without endless tab switching. Meanwhile, Yahoo Finance integration provides near real-time company data, analyst ratings, and earnings updates, refreshed every 10 minutes for faster financial decisions.
For now, Yahoo Scout is accessible only in the US through Scout.Yahoo.com and the Yahoo Search app on iOS and Android. The company says nearly 250 million users can try the beta, with broader expansion and deeper personalisation planned in the coming months.
As AI reshapes how people seek information online, Yahoo is betting that direct answers — not links — are the future of search.