Samsung appears to be preparing a significant upgrade for its virtual assistant Bixby with the upcoming One UI 8.5, as fresh reports suggest the company may integrate advanced AI capabilities powered by DeepSeek and Perplexity AI. If accurate, this move could mark one of the biggest transformations of Bixby since its launch, positioning it as a more competitive AI assistant in the era of generative intelligence.

Bixby Could Evolve Beyond a Basic Voice Assistant

According to information circulating online, Samsung is exploring ways to enhance Bixby with next-generation language models. DeepSeek, known for its efficient reasoning-focused AI models, could help Bixby deliver more contextual and accurate responses. This would allow Bixby to handle complex queries, summaries, and multi-step tasks more naturally than before.

Perplexity AI May Bring Real-Time Search Intelligence

Perplexity AI’s potential involvement hints at real-time, citation-backed answers within Bixby. This could enable Samsung’s assistant to fetch up-to-date information from the web, provide summarized insights, and improve fact accuracy—similar to how AI-powered search assistants are evolving globally.

One UI 8.5 Likely to Focus Heavily on AI Features

One UI 8.5 is expected to be an AI-centric update, building on Samsung’s broader push toward on-device and hybrid AI experiences. By leveraging external AI engines alongside its own Galaxy AI framework, Samsung may aim to offer smarter productivity tools, improved system-wide search, and more conversational interactions across apps.

A Strategic Shift to Compete With Google and Apple

Samsung’s reported collaboration with AI players like DeepSeek and Perplexity suggests a strategic effort to reduce reliance on a single ecosystem. With Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri undergoing major AI overhauls, Samsung appears keen to ensure Bixby remains relevant by adopting best-in-class AI technologies rather than relying solely on in-house models.

Availability and Rollout Still Unclear

As of now, Samsung has not officially confirmed these integrations. It remains uncertain whether the upgraded Bixby will debut exclusively on flagship Galaxy devices or roll out gradually across eligible models. More clarity is expected as One UI 8.5 development progresses and beta builds surface.