Samsung's big bet: Perplexity AI could soon be everywhere on its devices

Business Standard

2 days ago

Samsung Electronics is close to finalising a significant partnership with Perplexity AI Inc, an artificial intelligence (AI) search technology startup, Bloomberg reported.
The South Korean tech giant is negotiating to preload Perplexity's app and assistant onto its upcoming devices. Additionally, Samsung aims to integrate Perplexity's search features into its web browser. Talks have also covered incorporating the startup's technology into Samsung's Bixby virtual assistant, the report said.
Samsung plans to unveil the Perplexity integrations as early as this year, with the goal of making it a default assistant option on the Galaxy S26, expected to launch in the first half of 2026. However, the specifics of the deal are still being finalised and may change, the sources noted.
So far, the company has relied significantly on Google's Gemini to support a range of AI capabilities within its Galaxy AI suite.
Significant investment in Perplexity
In addition to the technology partnership, Samsung is expected to participate in Perplexity's upcoming funding round, potentially as one of its largest investors. Perplexity is currently in advanced discussions to raise $500 million at a valuation of $14 billion, the news report said.
The collaboration could help Samsung lessen its reliance on Alphabet Inc's Google and position it to work with a broader range of AI developers — a strategy similar to Apple Inc.'s approach to its ecosystem. For Perplexity, this would represent its most substantial mobile partnership to date, following a recent deal with Motorola.
The two companies began exploring a partnership earlier this year. In recent weeks, representatives from both sides met in South Korea and made significant progress toward finalising the agreement, the report said.
In addition to embedding Perplexity's technology into Samsung's devices and Bixby, the companies have also discussed developing an AI-infused operating system and an app that can connect Perplexity's capabilities with other AI assistants.
Apple's interest in Perplexity
Meanwhile, Apple has also shown interest in collaborating with Perplexity. According to Bloomberg News, Apple has considered using Perplexity as an alternative to Google Search and as a replacement for ChatGPT within the Siri voice assistant.
'We've been pretty impressed with what Perplexity has done, so we've started some discussions with them about what they're doing,' Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice-president of services, said during recent testimony at a Google antitrust trial.