Get ready for AI on the TV
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Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
Samsung has inked a deal to include Perplexity's AI engine on its latest smart TVs, the companies told Axios first.
Why it matters: The move is a sign that the shared living room experience is likely to be another key battleground in the AI wars.
Driving the news: Samsung's deal will make Perplexity an option when owners of select TVs press the AI button.
- Samsung will let users choose among Perplexity, Microsoft's Copilot and Samsung's own TV-focused AI, announced at CES in January.
- The service is free and there isn't currently a way for paid Perplexity subscribers to access premium features.
- "This is really just step one," Samsung senior director Dan Glassman told Axios. "We're excited to keep innovating with Perplexity."
- It's the first global partnership for Perplexity on the TV, although the company announced an earlier deal with Telefonica to be included on set-top boxes from Movistar in Spain.
- "We want to be wherever people have questions," Ryan Foutty, Perplexity's VP of business, told Axios.
The big picture: After the phone and computer, the television often comes up as a natural place for new technology, given its ubiquity.
- Google is also putting its Gemini assistant front and center on Google TV, with Chinese electronics maker TCL first to incorporate the new technology.
- Long, personal AI chats will likely stay on phones and computers. But the TV is a natural place for quick queries — like figuring out what's on or where you know an actor from.
- One of the benefits of AI engines is they can handle queries by voice, since most TVs don't have keyboards.
- "There's a lot of low-hanging fruit on media search and discovery," Glassman said. "Search on TV has always been a bit challenging."
Between the lines: Glassman said AI is the latest technology to make sense on the TV, following earlier efforts to use screens for gaming or art displays.
Yes, but: The living room is also tricky. The consumer tech graveyard is littered with apps and services that aimed to make the TV more interactive beyond serving up something to watch.
What we're watching: TV sets are still the heart of shared living room experiences, but the once-central screen must justify itself in a world where people increasingly also watch content on phones, tablets and PCs.
