Samsung just made a decision that could reshape how we use phones: instead of forcing you to pick one AI assistant, the Galaxy S26 will let you summon three. Say "Hey Plex" and Perplexity jumps in. Ask Bixby, and Samsung's own assistant handles it. Prefer Google? Gemini is right there. This isn't just a feature update — it's a philosophy shift.
Why One AI Was Never Going to Be Enough
Think about how you actually use AI tools right now. You might trust one assistant for quick web searches, another for scheduling, and a third for creative tasks. Samsung clearly noticed the same pattern. Their new "multi-agent ecosystem" approach stops pretending that a single AI can do everything well.
Perplexity, for instance, brings research-grade search with cited sources. Gemini excels at contextual understanding and Google ecosystem integration. Bixby still handles device-level controls better than either. Letting users pick the right tool for the right job seems obvious in hindsight — but Samsung is the first major phone maker to actually ship it.
What Perplexity Can Actually Do on Your Galaxy S26
This isn't just Perplexity-the-app pinned to your home screen. The integration goes deeper: Perplexity will have access to Samsung Notes, Clock, Gallery, Reminders, and Calendar, plus select third-party apps. That means you could say "Hey Plex, find my notes from last week's meeting and summarise the action items" — and it actually can.
Samsung is also opening up the framework for other AI agents to plug in. Today it's Perplexity. Tomorrow it could be specialised agents for coding, health tracking, finance, or anything else. The phone becomes a platform for AI, not just a container for AI apps.
What This Means for Your Business
If your team uses smartphones for work (and let's be honest, whose doesn't?), this multi-agent setup changes the game. Employees can pick the AI that matches their workflow — a researcher might default to Perplexity, while a project manager leans on Gemini for calendar and email integration.
For companies building AI-powered products, Samsung's open approach is a signal: the future isn't about locking users into one ecosystem. It's about being the best agent for a specific task and earning your spot on someone's phone.
The Bigger Picture
Apple keeps Siri as the sole voice assistant on iPhone. Google pushes Gemini as the default on Pixel. Samsung is betting that choice wins. With the Galaxy Unpacked event on February 25th, expect more details on how this multi-agent architecture works under the hood.
One thing is clear: the era of one-AI-fits-all on your phone is ending. And if Samsung gets this right, other manufacturers will have to follow.
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