What’s happened? Snap Inc. has struck a $400 million deal with Perplexity to embed its conversational-AI search engine directly into the Snapchat interface. The integration is slated for rollout in early 2026.

• Snapchat isn’t replacing its in-house My AI bot that already uses a mix of LLMs from OpenAI and Google, and now Perplexity AI joins that lineup.
• The Perplexity engine will appear in the chat so users can ask questions and get conversational, source-backed answers without leaving the app.

Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends

This is important because: Dropping a search engine into chat means you can now look things up in the same window where you already talk, plan, and share memes with your friends.

• Perplexity gets instant reach through Snapchat’s billion monthly users, while Snap pockets a $400 million boost and a fresh way to stand out.
• The deal (cash plus equity) will be paid to Snap over a year and starts contributing revenue in 2026, so the partnership is both product and commercial.
• This partnership shows how fast AI is moving into social apps, with Meta already bringing its AI to WhatsApp.

Bryan M. Wolfe / Digital Trends

Why it matters? The move signals Snapchat isn’t just for memes and snaps anymore; it’s transforming into a knowledge and interaction hub. This update follows Snapchat’s rollout of AI video lenses, showing how fast the app is leaning into creative AI tools.

• With My AI (GPT/Gemini style) and Perplexity in the same chat, you can double-check answers without leaving Snapchat. It’s like getting a second opinion but faster.
• According to Business Insider, Perplexity will not use Snapchat user data to train its models, which is an important user protection if it holds true.
• Still, how personalization, logging, and short-term context are handled will be something to watch.

OK, what’s next? As AI-search becomes part of everyday chat, will it change how you use Snapchat with less snapping and more discovering? Also, bringing an answer engine into social chat raises moderation questions: how will Snap ensure answers are safe, age-appropriate, and not abused inside private messages? Snap will need guardrails beyond accuracy checks.