📱Perplexity’s Big Phone Moment

Today we will discuss:

• Samsung considers Perplexity for default search—Talks underway to preload AI assistant on future Galaxy devices and invest in $500M funding round

• Don’t miss this week’s Workflow Wednesday—save time with AI using Guidde to turn slides into narrated videos, plus faster scripting with Jasper and auto-summaries via GPT + Slack; now available at only $20/month! 

• AI’s investment gap widens—A handful of giants dominate funding while most VCs struggle to find their footing in a high-stakes AI market

• In other AI news—Google launches AI Edge Gallery to let users run AI models locally on Android, Meta plans to automate risk assessments for its apps using AI, Morgan Stanley flags growing investor interest in China’s AI and humanoid tech, and Elon Musk voices concern over China’s lead in the AI robot race

• Saved the best for last—10 must-try AI tools

Samsung looks to bring Perplexity AI to phones and browser

Key Points 

• Samsung is considering preloading Perplexity’s AI search on future Galaxy phones, starting with the S26 in 2026.

• Samsung also plans to invest in Perplexity’s upcoming $500M funding round, valuing the AI startup at $14 billion.

📰News - Samsung is in advanced talks to preload Perplexity AI’s search assistant onto its future devices, including the Galaxy S26 lineup expected in early 2026.

According to sources close to the matter, the two companies are also discussing integrating Perplexity’s features into Samsung’s web browser and Bixby virtual assistant, with some elements potentially rolling out as early as this year.

💸Big investment, bigger Ambitions - The partnership goes beyond product features, Samsung is poised to become one of the lead investors in Perplexity’s upcoming $500 million funding round, which would value the start-up at $14 billion. This would mark Perplexity’s largest mobile partnership to date, following a recent integration with Motorola.

🧠A strategic shift away from Google - For Samsung, this could reduce its long-standing dependence on Google and allow more flexibility in working with multiple AI developers, an approach similar to Apple’s evolving strategy. Talks about the partnership began in April and have accelerated following recent meetings in South Korea.

Meanwhile, Apple has also held discussions with Perplexity, eyeing it as a possible alternative to Google Search and ChatGPT. “We’ve been pretty impressed with what Perplexity has done,” Apple’s Eddy Cue said during a recent antitrust trial.

Read the full story here.

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Silicon Valley’s AI race leaves most investors on the sidelines

Key Points 

• OpenAI’s $300B valuation has reshaped venture investing, pricing out traditional firms from the generative AI conversation.

• Smaller investors are struggling to find startups that can compete with giants like OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI.

🤖News - The AI gold rush has split Silicon Valley into two camps: those wealthy enough to bet big on generative AI giants, and those watching from the sidelines.

Ever since ChatGPT ignited the hype cycle in 2022, valuations have skyrocketed for a small handful of players. OpenAI leads with a jaw-dropping $300 billion valuation after raising $40 billion. Anthropic is close behind at $61.5 billion, while Elon Musk’s xAI is reportedly seeking funding at a $120 billion price tag.

At this scale, even iconic VC firms are struggling to keep up. Big Tech, SoftBank, and Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds are now the primary players, making venture capital’s AI game increasingly exclusive. But these sky-high valuations aren’t reflective of the entire market just a handful of elite AI startups.

🥸Why this matters - With tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini evolving rapidly, investors are unsure where new companies can carve out space. As Brett Gibson from Initialized Capital puts it, AI is shaking up what’s even considered investible. The traditional startup “moat” is harder than ever to define.

Despite doubts about profitability and scale, few believe generative AI is going away. In five years, says Uncork Capital’s Andy McLoughlin, AI will be like cloud or mobile embedded into everything. But who’s building that future and who can afford to is still very much up in the air.

Read the full story here.