Samsung is not waiting for the main stage at Unpacked to clarify where it is headed in the age of artificial intelligence. The company announced that its next flagship devices will offer Perplexity as part of an expansion of support for multiple AI agents within the Galaxy AI system. This is not merely a cosmetic addition, but a deep integration: Perplexity’s agent will operate in synchronization with Samsung’s built-in applications, including Samsung Notes, the Clock, the Gallery, Reminders, and the Calendar.
This move indicates a conceptual shift at Samsung. Instead of relying on a single engine, the company seeks to become a kind of “orchestrator,” as defined by Won-Joon Choi, President and Head of the Research and Development Division at Samsung Mobile. According to him, the goal is to provide users with flexibility and choice in performing tasks, while connecting different forms of artificial intelligence into one continuous and natural experience.
“Hey Plex”: Not Just Search, but an Active Agent
The technical details revealed so far shed light on how it will operate: Users will be able to activate the agent through a dedicated voice command – “Hey Plex” – or via physical shortcuts on the device. This integration raises interesting questions regarding the future of Bixby, Samsung’s veteran assistant that is itself undergoing a significant refresh, and how the two will coexist side by side within the user interface.
Although the announcement focuses on Samsung’s native applications, the company confirmed that third-party applications will also support the new integration, although a named list of partner companies has not yet been published.
The Expanding Partnership Alongside Question Marks
The relationship between the Korean giant and the AI start-up is not new. Last year, the two announced a collaboration to integrate Perplexity’s search engine into Samsung’s smart televisions. Now, it appears that the relationship is moving up a level and shifting to the user’s most personal device.
However, the move comes at a complex time for Perplexity. The company is under fire over allegations of content scraping and copyright infringement. Just last September, it was sued by conservative and institutional bodies such as Merriam-Webster and Encyclopaedia Britannica. For Samsung, this represents a bet on cutting-edge technology that is still fighting for its legal legitimacy, yet one that provides search and information processing capabilities that are difficult to ignore in a competitive market.