Samsung Galaxy S24 smartphones during a media preview event in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday, January 15, 2024. Samsung, the world's most prolific smartphone maker, is leaning on artificial intelligence as the key to unlocking more sales this year. . Photographer: Seung-jun Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Seungjun Cho | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Samsung could add artificial intelligence technology to its Bixby voice assistant, a senior company executive told CNBC, as the South Korean giant looks to boost the appeal of its devices.
Bixby was launched in 2017 with the Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphone. The program offers a number of functions, including live translations or restaurant recommendations.
But voice assistants were typically less conversational and relied on users asking questions and getting answers.
Chatbots are now becoming more advanced and capable of handling more complex queries, following the emergence of ChatGPT from OpenAI and its competitors. These modern chatbots are an example of generative AI, which allows users to ask a query and they will generate a response in the form of text, an image, and now even a video.
Samsung's Bixby is available across the company's devices, from smartphones and smartwatches to its own devices. The company considers it a key tool for users to control their devices in their homes.
Until now, Bixby has not had ChatGPT capabilities.
Like many smartphone makers, Samsung is looking to equip its devices with more advanced AI features. The company has also launched new features with Galaxy AI, along with its latest S24 smartphone series. This includes an option that allows users to circle something on their screens and search for it on Google, without having to switch apps.
The tech giant is looking to boost its AI with Bixby.
“So Bixby has been a key voice assistant for Samsung's voice assistants, not just for mobile devices, but also for TVs and digital devices that are in the Samsung ecosystem. So it has been the primary voice assistant so far,” Won Joon Choi, executive vice president of mobile business, said. At Samsung to CNBC in an interview last month.
“With the emergence of generative AI and LLM (Large Language Model) technology, I believe we have to redefine Bixby's role, so that Bixby can be equipped with generative AI and become smarter in the future,” Choi said. Adding this will “enable a more natural conversation and create an interface that supports Samsung products in our ecosystem.”
Choi did not provide a timeline for when Bixby might get AI features, but he said Samsung is “working hard” to introduce them.
Samsung's focus on the technology comes at a time when investors are examining what Apple has to offer when it comes to generative artificial intelligence. Apple announced that it will hold its annual developer conference, WWDC, in June, where the company is largely expected to talk about some AI features across its products.
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