Samsung Boosts Bixby Smart Assistant with Perplexity AI Search
In Focus
- Samsung is integrating Perplexity AI into its Bixby smart assistant
- The AI update enables the smart assistant to handle complex queries
- The Bixby AI update has been spotted on Galaxy S25 smartphones
Perplexity AI’s platform may be powering Samsung’s assistant called Bixby. According to Gadgets360, news of Samsung Bixby and Perplexity AI integration surfaced after various users posted screenshots showing the smart assistant referred queries to the artificial intelligence answer engine. Bixby displayed a small Perplexity AI icon at the bottom.
Bixby AI Update Appears on Galaxy S25 Phones
The One UI 8.5 Bixby AI feature has been spotted on Galaxy S25 series smartphones. A screenshot shared on X shows what a Perplexity-powered Bixby will look like. Captioned “Now Bixby can ask Perplexity to answer complicated questions,” the image shows a shopping agentic tool by overlay featuring a weather-related query.
The overlay also offers a detailed recommendation by tapping into Perplexity’s search engine. A “sources” button is visible on the screen, which means that users can view individual webpages that the AI search tool used to generate the response.
The Samsung AI assistant update leak shows the integration is already in progress. Perplexity integrates with Bixby about a month after launching a free shopping agentic tool that can detect customer shopping intent.
Samsung’s Struggle with the Smart Assistant
Samsung first introduced Bixby in 2017 with the Galaxy S8 smartphone series. Bixby was intended to become Samsung’s own smart assistant, working deeply with the phone. The assistant was meant to enable users to control apps, settings, and features through voice.
The company included a dedicated Bixby button on the phone to boost uptake. But the smart assistant didn’t gain traction among Galaxy S8 phone users. Most of them felt the assistant wasn’t as helpful compared to tools like Google Assistant. The assistant also came with limited features and language support, further limiting uptake.
With the latest Bixby assistant complex query handling capabilities, Samsung appears to be giving the smart tool another chance. Samsung’s move to integrate Perplexity AI search in Bixby mirrors Apple’s approach to using OpenAI’s ChatGPT to make its iPhone assistant, Siri, smarter.
Expanding Perplexity AI’s Use in Samsung Products
Samsung already uses Perplexity’s AI search engine on its smart TVs. With the One UI 8.5 beta update, the company is bringing this feature to Galaxy phones. The upgrade is expected to help Bixby provide better, more up-to-date responses to users on Galaxy smartphones.
But it’s still unclear how deep the Bixby Perplexity AI integration runs and whether users will be able to tap into advanced features like Deep Research. It’s also not known whether the integration will allow Max subscribers, who already automate their emails with the company’s AI agent, to link their accounts.
The Perplexity AI in the Samsung Bixby upgrade will first be rolled out to Galaxy S26 users and One UI 8.5 beta testers in 2026. Later, Samsung will introduce the feature to older Galaxy phone models like the Galaxy S25 series as part of the wider One UI 8.5 update.
