Samsung now has to worry about Apple buying Perplexity AI

Google's Gemini AI has taken center stage on Samsung's phones over the past couple of years. Recent reports have suggested that Samsung is now interested in bring Perplexity AI to its devices, but that plan could run into an Apple-sized problem.

A new report has claimed that Apple is thinking about acquiring Perplexity. It has reportedly had multiple discussions with the AI search engine, so there does appear to be an element of seriousness attached to the idea.

Bloomberg reports that Apple is considering an acquisition of Perplexity to bring more AI talent to the company and also offer an AI-based search engine on its devices. Adrian Perica, Apple's head of mergers and acquisitions, has reportedly discussed the idea with Apple's Eddy Cue and other top decision-makers.

The report adds that Apple has met with Perplexity several times over the past few months, but there's not been a formal bid for the company yet. The internal discussions at Apple are said to be in an early stage so it's still possible that they may not go through with the idea.

Samsung has been eyeing some sort of a role for Perplexity on its devices. Reports have indicated that Perplexity could be offered as an AI assistant on Galaxy devices. Samsung is already offering users in the United States free access to Perplexity Pro for a year, which typically costs $200.

A report earlier this month also claimed that Samsung is nearing a deal to invest in Perplexity, which would likely make it one of the biggest investors in the AI startup. All of that could be in jeopardy if Apple swoops in and just buys the company, because it's unlikely that Apple would then want that technology to power enhanced AI experiences on its competitor's devices.