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đ±Perplexityâs Big Phone Moment
PLUS: AIâs Funding Gap Widens

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Today we will discuss:
Samsung considers Perplexity for default searchâTalks underway to preload AI assistant on future Galaxy devices and invest in $500M funding round
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AIâs investment gap widensâA handful of giants dominate funding while most VCs struggle to find their footing in a high-stakes AI market
In other AI newsâGoogle 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 Chinaâs AI and humanoid tech, and Elon Musk voices concern over Chinaâs lead in the AI robot race
Saved the best for lastâ10 must-try AI tools
Key Points
Samsung is considering preloading Perplexityâs AI search on future Galaxy phones, starting with the S26 in 2026.
Samsung also plans to invest in Perplexityâs upcoming $500M funding round, valuing the AI startup at $14 billion.
đ°News - Samsung is in advanced talks to preload Perplexity AIâs 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 Perplexityâs features into Samsungâs web browser and Bixby virtual assistant, with some elements potentially rolling out as early as this year.
đžBig investment, bigger Ambitions - The partnership goes beyond product features, Samsung is poised to become one of the lead investors in Perplexityâs upcoming $500 million funding round, which would value the start-up at $14 billion. This would mark Perplexityâs largest mobile partnership to date, following a recent integration with Motorola.
đ§ 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 Appleâs 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. âWeâve been pretty impressed with what Perplexity has done,â Appleâs Eddy Cue said during a recent antitrust trial.
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Key Points
OpenAIâs $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.
đ€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 Muskâs 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 capitalâs AI game increasingly exclusive. But these sky-high valuations arenât reflective of the entire market just a handful of elite AI startups.
đ„žWhy 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 whatâs even considered investible. The traditional startup âmoatâ is harder than ever to define.
Despite doubts about profitability and scale, few believe generative AI is going away. In five years, says Uncork Capitalâs Andy McLoughlin, AI will be like cloud or mobile embedded into everything. But whoâs building that future and who can afford to is still very much up in the air.
đđ»ââïžWhat else is happening?
Google released an app that lets you download and run AI models locally // Called Google AI Edge Gallery, the app is available for Android and will soon come to iOS
Meta plans to automate many of its product risk assessments // An AI-powered system could soon take responsibility for evaluating the potential harms and privacy risks of up to 90% of updates made to Meta apps like Instagram and WhatsApp
More investor attention coming to China advancements in AI, humanoid tech: Morgan Stanley // Investment bank identifies technological diffusion and the spread of AI across economies as key long-term research themes
The rise of China humanoid robots is worrying Elon Musk // Musk worries that the country will eventually dominate the coming AI robot boom
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