Samsung's In-House Bixby Assistant May Get Generative AI Boost Soon

A senior executive at South Korean tech giant Samsung said that the company is considering integrating generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) technology into its in-house voice assistant Bixby.

A senior executive at South Korean tech giant Samsung said that the company is considering integrating generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) technology into its in-house voice assistant Bixby, as part of its efforts to enrich the attractiveness of its devices, says a report by CNBC. Samsung's Bixby made its debut in 2017 alongside Samsung's Galaxy S8 smartphone.

The software provided various functionalities, such as live translations and restaurant recommendations.

However, voice assistants have traditionally been less conversational, relying on users asking questions and receiving direct answers. With the advent of OpenAI's rival AI chatbot ChatGPT and its competitors, chatbots have become significantly more advanced, capable of addressing far more intricate inquiries. These modern chatbots, exemplifying generative AI, enable users to initiate prompts and receive responses in various formats, including text, images, and even video.

“Bixby has been a key voice assistant for Samsung not just for mobile devices, but also for TVs and digital appliances that exist in Samsung’s ecosystem,” Won-joon Choi, executive vice president at Samsung’s mobile business, was quoted as saying by CNBC.

“With the emergence of generative AI and LLM (large language model) technology, I believe that we have to redefine the role of the Bixby, so that Bixby could be equipped with generative AI and become more smarter in the future,” he added.

Bixby is integrated across Samsung's range of devices, spanning from smartphones and smartwatches to household appliances. The company views it as a crucial tool for users to manage their devices within their homes. Up to now, Bixby has not come up with the capabilities of ChatGPT, or its rivals.

Choi refrained from providing a specific timeline for when Bixby might receive generative AI features but emphasized that Samsung is diligently striving to implement them.

Samsung's emphasis on this technology coincides with heightened investor interest in what Apple will offer in terms of generative AI. Apple recently disclosed plans to host its annual developers conference, WWDC, in June, where the company is anticipated to showcase various AI features across its product lineup.