Key Takeaways:
Samsung is working on smartening up its Bixby voice assistant by adding generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology, a top executive for the Korean electronics giant told CNBC in an interview conducted last month.
Samsung is Powering Bixby with Generative AI and LLM Abilities
Bixby has been around for quite some time. The voice assistant launched in 2017 with the Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphone allows users to do several functions on the device with voice commands, such as finding routes to a certain location or asking for nearby restaurant recommendations.
However, voice assistants like Bixby and Apple’s Siri have typically been less conversational and more command-oriented. They rely on users asking specific questions to trigger an appropriate answer, whereas AI chatbots are way more advanced and able to handle more complex queries.
Natural large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Copilot, or Google’s Bard allow users to prompt with a query, and the chatbots will generate responses in the form of text (Bard, Copilot, ChatGPT), a picture (Dall-E, Midjourney), and now even in video (Sora).
Bixby can be found on a wide range of Samsung devices, from smartphones and smartwatches to its appliances like smart TVs and refrigerators. The company sees the voice assistant as an important tool for users to control their Internet of Things (IoT) powered devices.
While the electronics behemoth is adding advanced generative AI features to its new devices, like the Galaxy AI on the latest Galaxy S24 series of smartphones, Bixby seems to have been forgotten.
Some features of the Galaxy AI include the ability to circle an object shown on the screen and search for it on Google without switching apps or removing unwanted items from the background of the picture you want to upload on social media.
Bixby is Considered the Core Voice Assistant for All Samsung Devices
Woon-Joon Choi, the executive vice president of Samsung’s mobile department, declared in a CNBC interview aired last month that Bixby has “so far” been the “core voice assistant” for all devices to exist in Samsung’s ecosystem.
He highlighted the company has to “redefine the role” of Bixby, considering the emergence of generative AI and LLM technologies. Choi said that Samsung’s voice assistant could be equipped with generative AI to become much smarter in the future, allowing it to have more natural conversations and to work out an interface that supports all smart devices in the company’s lineup.
Although he did not give a timeline as to when to expect the AI-powered Bixby, Choi said Samsung is “working so hard” to deliver the ability to customers.
Samsung previously said that Bixby will co-exist with Galaxy AI on its smartphones. During CES 2024, the company mentioned that AI integration would help SmartThings – Samsung’s smart home platform – and Bixby to work together.
Apple Plans to Unveil New Generative AI Model at WWDC 2024 in June
Samsung’s plans to enhance the appeal of its devices using AI technology comes at a time when there is news that chief rival Apple is gearing up to launch its generative AI system this year.
Last week the American tech giant announced the dates for its annual developers conference, WWDC, which will be held from 6-10th June 2024. At this year’s event, Apple is largely expected to announce some of the AI features that will be coming to its products, starting with iOS 18 for the iPhone 16 series.
