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Samsung is looking to upgrade its Bixby AI and may turn to Perplexity over Google's Gemini.
A Perplexity integration for Bixby will function similarly to Apple's ChatGPT integration for Siri. The voice assistant will handle basic system tasks, such as tweaking phone settings or enabling features, while more complex queries will be sent to Perplexity, according to @chunvn8888, who has a decent track record with leaks.
Bixby hasn't received any major upgrades in a while, even as other parts of Samsung's phones have gotten a significant AI boost through its partnership with Google. Samsung often reserves a portion of its Galaxy Unpacked events for details on Gemini-powered updates, but earlier this year, it was reported that Samsung was planning to drop Gemini as its default assistant and replace it with Perplexity. The company was also reportedly holding discussions with Perplexity AI about integrating the latter's search functionality into its native browser.
Samsung itself confirmed an AI boost for Bixby last year, but it didn't reveal who it was partnering with or when the upgraded voice assistant would roll out.
"With the emergence of generative AI and LLM technology, I believe that we have to redefine the role of the Bixby," Won-Joon Choi, Samsung Mobile's EVP and Head of Research and Development, said at the time, adding that the company was "working hard" to integrate generative AI into Bixby.
While Choi didn't confirm a release timeline, @chunvn8888 says it could be announced alongside the Samsung Galaxy S26 series, which is expected early next year.
If Bixby does get an AI boost, the features may not be limited to smartphones. The voice assistant also comes preloaded on Samsung's tablets, TVs, and refrigerators. The brand's TVs also got Copilot integration earlier this year.