Samsung Brings Perplexity AI to Vision AI Companion on 2025 TVs

Samsung has added Perplexity AI’s new TV app to its 2025 smart‑TV lineup, placing a dedicated Perplexity agent alongside Microsoft Copilot and Samsung’s own Bixby inside the Vision AI Companion ecosystem — a move that turns the living‑room screen into a multi‑agent, conversational hub for discovery, answers and everyday tasks.

Background / Overview​

Samsung’s Vision AI Companion is the company’s umbrella for bringing generative, on‑screen intelligence to its latest TVs and smart monitors. The Vision AI layer combines on‑device visual and audio processing (for tasks like Live Translate and AI picture/sound tuning) with cloud‑backed generative agents that handle retrieval, reasoning and multi‑turn conversation. Samsung surfaced Perplexity as a standalone AI agent app within that environment on October 21, 2025, expanding the choices users have for on‑screen answers and research.
Microsoft’s Copilot had already been integrated into select 2025 Samsung displays earlier in the year as part of the same Vision AI push; Copilot focuses on conversational content discovery, spoiler‑safe recaps, smart‑home coordination and light productivity on Smart Monitors. The Perplexity TV App joins that multi‑agent lineup with a search‑centric, answer‑engine approach designed to present compact, web‑sourced answers in TV‑optimized visual cards.

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What the Perplexity TV App is — and what it promises​

Perplexity bills itself as an “answer engine”: a retrieval‑oriented agent that synthesizes information from credible web sources and returns concise answers with links and source context. On Samsung TVs, Perplexity’s design has been reworked for distance viewing: answers appear as high‑quality, glanceable cards, and the app supports both voice and keyboard input for non‑voice environments. Samsung says the app can help with:

• Finding what to watch (recommendations, director/actor filters, etc.)
• General‑knowledge Q&A and research tasks
• Trip planning and itineraries
• Everyday tasks and how‑tos, rendered as short, scannable cards

Samsung’s announcement emphasizes a TV‑first visual format for responses and an optional QR code sign‑in to redeem a promotional 12‑month Perplexity Pro subscription for new users on Samsung TVs.

How Perplexity differs from Copilot and Bixby on the TV​

• Perplexity: Retrieval‑heavy, web‑centric answers with linkable source context and follow‑up suggestions; optimized for research and fact‑finding.
• Microsoft Copilot: A broader conversational assistant that blends content discovery, contextual TV tasks (spoiler‑safe recaps), and light productivity tied to Microsoft services and personalization via a Microsoft Account.
• Bixby: Samsung’s on‑device assistant that’s being upgraded with generative features and deeper integration into the TV experience, with a focus on on‑device privacy protections through Samsung Knox.

The practical result is a pluralistic assistant model on the TV: Samsung is not locking users into a single assistant but enabling them to choose the agent best suited to the task. That strategy is central to Samsung’s Vision AI messaging.

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Availability and how to access Perplexity on Samsung displays​

Samsung’s statement and supporting coverage make the rollout and access methods straightforward:

• The Perplexity TV App is available now on Samsung’s 2025 smart‑TV lineup and will arrive on eligible 2023 and 2024 Samsung TVs via an OS update later in the year.
• Users can launch the Perplexity app from the Tizen Apps bar, or invoke it via the remote’s AI button when Vision AI Companion is active. Voice activation requires accepting terms and microphone permissions; non‑voice input can use the on‑screen keyboard or a USB keyboard.
• Samsung is offering a promotional 12‑month Perplexity Pro subscription redeemable through a QR code in the TV app for qualifying users, according to vendor materials and initial press coverage. Promotional terms and regional availability may vary.

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Why Samsung is pursuing a multi‑agent model​

Samsung’s push to host multiple third‑party agents on its displays is strategic and multi‑faceted:

• User choice and relevance: Different assistants excel at different tasks — retrieval vs. productivity vs. device control — so a multi‑agent approach can present a best‑of‑breed experience depending on what the user wants.
• Platform differentiation: By offering Copilot, Perplexity, Gemini (Google), and upgraded Bixby possibilities, Samsung positions Tizen and Vision AI as an open agent orchestration layer rather than a one‑vendor walled garden. This can be a selling point for customers who want flexibility.
• Commercial leverage: Pre‑installing partner agents, offering trials and co‑promotions, and potentially participating in partner investments are ways Samsung can both diversify revenue levers and reduce dependency on a single search or AI provider. Reports of Samsung investment talks with Perplexity have circulated during 2025, though such financial specifics are not yet confirmed by all parties.

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Technical architecture: on‑device Vision AI + cloud agents​

Samsung’s Vision AI Companion is explicitly designed as a hybrid architecture:

• Latency‑sensitive, media‑centric tasks such as Live Translate, AI Upscaling, and audio tuning are handled on‑device to preserve responsiveness.
• Generative reasoning, multi‑turn dialogue and broad web retrieval are routed to partner cloud services (e.g., Microsoft for Copilot, Perplexity’s backend for Perplexity).

That hybrid split makes engineering sense: it minimizes lag for live media features while allowing heavy conversational reasoning and up‑to‑date retrieval to be performed server‑side. It also raises important questions about telemetry and data flows (addressed further below). Note: Samsung and its partners have provided product level descriptions but have not published exhaustive, end‑to‑end architecture diagrams detailing data retention windows, exact telemetry collected, or full on‑device vs cloud split for every feature — those remain implementation details users and IT managers should watch for.

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Ecosystem implications — competition, partnerships and market dynamics​

This multi‑agent strategy on the TV has broader market implications:

• Search and assistant competition: Perplexity’s arrival on TVs is a public signaling of its ambitions to be a mainstream retrieval layer beyond browsers and phones. The move increases direct competition with incumbents like OpenAI (via ChatGPT integrations in other platforms) and with platform teams like Google (Gemini) and Amazon (Alexa+ on Fire TV).
• Platform bargaining power: OEMs that support multiple agents gain leverage with content providers and search vendors. Samsung’s approach reduces the strategic risk of being tied to one single assistant provider and enables commercial bundling with partners.
• Developer and content implications: App and content creators should expect changes to discovery APIs and metadata requirements. Agents that query streaming catalogs and on‑device metadata for recommendations will favor apps and services that expose rich, structured metadata and clear launch‑to‑play links. Preparation now — by surfacing chapter markers, cast/crew metadata and standardized credits — will pay off as agents begin to surface deeper, contextual results.

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Privacy, security and governance — what to watch closely​

Embedding cloud‑backed assistants into a shared, living‑room device raises concrete privacy and security considerations:

• Microphone and voice data: Voice activation requires microphone access. Samsung says voice consent is required and Bixby upgrades emphasize Knox protections, but the detailed retention policy for voice snippets routed to partner clouds depends on the partner (Perplexity vs Microsoft). Users should inspect the sign‑in and permissions flow and the partners’ privacy disclosures before using voice features extensively.
• Shared device personalization: TVs are inherently shared. The QR‑code sign‑in approach used by Copilot and Perplexity reduces friction but also makes it easy to tie a single Microsoft or Perplexity account to a living‑room device. Households should consider account management, guest modes, and clear sign‑out flows to prevent unintended access to personalized results.
• Telemetry and third‑party access: When Perplexity or Copilot provides answers, parts of the query and context may be logged in partner systems. The hybrid on‑device/cloud design reduces some telemetry for latency‑sensitive features but increases cloud dependency for generative answers. Independent auditing of vendor privacy policies, and transparency reports from Samsung and partners, will be key for enterprise buyers and privacy‑conscious consumers.
• Security of update paths: Samsung’s promise of multi‑year OS updates for eligible models is positive, but every new app or agent increases the surface area for firmware‑level or network attacks. Network segmentation for smart‑home devices, strict router-level controls for guest and IoT networks, and timely updates should be standard practice.

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Practical strengths and potential risks: a balanced assessment​

Strengths​

• Choice and specialization: Users can select the best agent for the job: Perplexity for quick, sourced answers; Copilot for conversational content discovery and Microsoft service continuity; Bixby for on‑device controls and privacy‑oriented features.
• TV‑first UX: The visual card approach and avatar‑style presence (for Copilot) is engineered for distance viewing and group interactions — a smart UX choice for shared screens.
• Ecosystem effects: Samsung’s approach could accelerate richer metadata standards and create new discovery pathways for content providers, benefiting consumers and developers who adapt.

Risks and unknowns​

• Data governance opacity: The precise boundaries of local vs cloud processing and how long partners retain queries or derived data are not fully public. Until partners publish clear technical documentation and independent reviewers validate data flows, privacy risk remains a material concern.
• Fragmentation and user confusion: Multiple agents can create inconsistent answers for the same query, different sign‑in states, and occasional duplication. Users might be confused by varied phrasing, different source attributions, or distinct follow‑up suggestions from each agent.
• Potential for bloat and distraction: Poorly tuned agents or oversharing features could intrude on the primary purpose of the TV — watching content. Early hands‑on reviews caution that animated avatars, persistent prompts, or visual interruptions must be managed to preserve viewing immersion.

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What this means for consumers and IT buyers​

• Consumers: Try the free features on a supported TV, test sign‑in flows, and redeem promotional Perplexity offers if desired. Confirm whether the Perplexity 12‑month Pro promotion applies in your region and read the trial terms. Consider creating a household usage policy for the TV (e.g., guest signing rules, explicit sign‑out after use).
• Tech‑savvy households: Segment your local network so that TV traffic is isolated from sensitive devices like work PCs. Monitor bandwidth and latency when using cloud agents — performance will vary by home network and regional cloud endpoints.
• Enterprises and public spaces: Treat Copilot‑ and Perplexity‑enabled displays as endpoints in asset inventories. For shared meeting rooms or displays used for productivity, require strict account link policies and sign‑out procedures. Validate that the available features meet corporate data governance and compliance requirements before adoption.

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Recommendations for Samsung, partners and regulators​

• Publish clear technical documentation that categorizes which tasks are processed on‑device vs in partner clouds, including retention windows for voice and query logs.
• Standardize privacy controls and a robust guest mode for shared displays that prevents accidental account linking or unauthorized access to personalized memory features.
• Provide developers and streaming services with an open and well‑documented metadata API to enable accurate, cross‑app content discovery and reduce wrong or misleading answers surfaced by agents.
• Implement a visible, user‑friendly privacy dashboard on the TV so users can inspect and purge local caches, voice logs, and linked accounts without obscure menus.
• For promotional offers (e.g., Perplexity Pro trials), publish the full redemption terms and geographic restrictions in the app and during onboarding.

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How this fits into the broader industry picture​

The Perplexity integration is part of a larger trend: TVs and other large screens are becoming shared AI surfaces rather than passive display hardware. Google is rolling Gemini into Google TV, Amazon is advancing Alexa capabilities on Fire TV, and Microsoft is deliberately expanding Copilot beyond PCs and phones. OEMs are converging on a platform model where they orchestrate multiple agents rather than endorsing a single provider — a response to market demand for choice and to regulatory pressure about defaults and bundling.
This pluralistic approach may slow the race to a single dominant assistant in the living room and instead foster a competitive ecosystem where retrieval specialists (Perplexity), productivity copilots (Microsoft), and device‑centric assistants (Bixby, Alexa) each find use cases and niches.

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Final analysis and takeaway​

Samsung’s addition of the Perplexity TV App to its 2025 lineup is a logical step for a company pitching the TV as an AI‑aware, shared surface. The Perplexity app brings a retrieval‑focused, source‑aware answer engine to the Vision AI Companion, complementing Microsoft Copilot’s conversational, discovery‑oriented capabilities and Samsung’s upgraded Bixby. For consumers this translates into more choice and potentially more useful answers from the big screen; for developers and content owners it creates a new vector for discovery and metadata optimization.
That said, real value will depend on execution: how seamlessly agents interoperate, how clearly Samsung and its partners disclose data flows, and whether the UX balances helpfulness with non‑intrusiveness. Smart buyers should verify model‑level support, test privacy controls, and treat promotional trials (such as Perplexity Pro offers) as limited‑time incentives rather than core product features.
Samsung’s Vision AI Companion — now hosting Perplexity, Copilot and Bixby — signals the next phase of smart‑TV evolution: a pluralistic AI platform where the biggest screen in the house becomes a shared, interactive hub for curiosity, entertainment and light productivity. The technology is promising; prudent setup, network hygiene and clear privacy choices will determine whether it becomes a convenience or a source of friction in everyday living rooms.

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Source: Thurrott.com Perplexity AI Joins Microsoft Copilot on Samsung Smart TVs