Perplexity AI joins forces with Motorola to bring answer engine to smartphones
The move comes as the industry reassesses AI-focused gadgets like Humane’s AI Pin and the Rabbit r1, both of which launched to lukewarm reviews. Many investors now believe smartphones are the most practical route to bring AI to users at scale.
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Perplexity AI has entered the smartphone market through a new partnership with Motorola, aiming to bring its AI-powered search engine directly to mobile users.
The company announced on Thursday that its technology will now be part of Motorola’s “Moto AI” suite of features, making it the first smartphone brand to fully integrate Perplexity. The collaboration comes as tech companies increasingly seek to embed artificial intelligence into everyday devices.
Speaking at an event in New York, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas said:
“Search shouldn’t be about endless links and adverts—it should give people exactly what they need. Your phone is now your personal assistant, an answer engine, and your research companion.”
Perplexity’s AI tool will sit alongside other tech giants within Motorola’s AI offering, including Microsoft Copilot, Google’s Gemini, and Meta for select queries.
Unlike traditional business deals, this is a distribution-focused partnership. “We’re not making money from Motorola sales,” Srinivas told CNBC. “We’re focused on growing our user base, and they want to offer new, exciting features—it’s a win-win.”
Motorola users will receive three months free of Perplexity Pro, which includes advanced tools like Deep Research. The deal also offers Perplexity insight into how casual users—outside their usual tech-savvy crowd—interact with AI, from setting alarms to handling complex questions.
The move comes as the industry reassesses AI-focused gadgets like Humane’s AI Pin and the Rabbit r1, both of which launched to lukewarm reviews. Many investors now believe smartphones are the most practical route to bring AI to users at scale.
“Fifteen years ago, smartphones changed everything,” said Nicole Hagen, Motorola’s head of product marketing. “Now we’re at the start of another major shift in technology.”
Srinivas echoed that sentiment, calling smartphones the biggest access point for any consumer technology company. By embedding Perplexity natively in phones—not just as a separate app—the startup hopes to make AI a habitual part of users’ everyday routines.
“Nobody uses AI on weekends,” Srinivas joked. “You only get to habitual usage if AI is built into something people are already using every day.”
Perplexity is positioning itself as a serious challenger to Google and OpenAI’s AI-powered search offerings. The company’s valuation has soared from $500 million at the start of 2024 to around $9 billion by year-end, with a new funding round potentially raising that to $18 billion, according to CNBC sources.
The startup is also navigating its own growing pains, including criticism around plagiarism and content sourcing, but continues to attract strong interest as the AI search race intensifies.