What you need to know
- Startup company Perplexity AI is reportedly engaging in talks with Motorola and Samsung to have its software preloaded or available as a "default" assistant option.
- A deal has supposedly been met with Motorola to have its AI pre-loaded onto devices as a secondary option besides Gemini.
- Samsung's talks are reportedly still early; however, if it works, the brand could bring Perplexity's app to consumers or have its AI as a "default" option.
- Samsung and Motorola are no strangers to custom on-device AI as both have crafted Galaxy AI and Moto AI, respectively.
Reports claim a couple of well-known smartphone brands could seek an AI startup company's software for future devices.
The report stems from Bloomberg, which cites people "close to the matter" by saying Perplexity AI is seeking arrangements with notable OEMs. Supposedly, the company is looking to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Google's Gemini and OpenAI's ChatGPT as a potential on-device AI assistant. Sources claim Perplexity AI has reached out to Samsung and Motorola about the possibility of being loaded onto phones as a "default" option.
Interestingly, the report claims Perplexity AI has already agreed upon a deal with Motorola's parent company, Lenovo, for assistant integration.
This agreement will allegedly have Perplexity's software "pre-loaded" onto Motorola's phones as a secondary option besides Gemini. Not only will future Motorola consumers see a marketing push by the brand to try out Perplexity, but a "tailored" version will be available for its Razr foldable.
Sources add Samsung's talks are still early. This is apparently partly due to Samsung's close relations with Google and its haul of AI features. However, if things go well, Samsung could feature Perplexity's AI as an assistant option or pre-load its app for users.
Venturing into AI
Also, Samsung reportedly has dealings with Perplexity after investing in the startup in 2024. For context, Perplexity AI was founded in 2022, and Samsung is supposedly thinking of investing another sum of money into the company in 2025, per Bloomberg. With that, it seems talks might go favorably for Perplexity, but these things are usually complicated, so there's no telling until it happens.
Samsung has continued its push for an "AI Phone" via its Galaxy series for quite some time, introducing Galaxy AI and more to consumers. When the Galaxy S25 launched in January, Google quickly expanded AI Overviews in Circle to Search for the newest flagship trio. The generative AI-based feature now surfaces additional information for visual search queries.
Galaxy users also have a heavy dose of Gemini through on-device means for assistance whenever needed.
On the other hand, you have Motorola, which brought its "Moto AI" suite of features to beta testers late last year. It was only available for select phones, but Moto AI included tools for notification summaries, recall capabilities, and "enhanced" recording with transcriptions available. The company remains confident in its software, stating feedback will "help shape Moto experiences, ensuring that what’s developed meets consumer wants and needs."
