Samsung introduced Bixby with the Galaxy S8 lineup back in 2017, replacing the S Voice assistant it used for around six years. Bixby has evolved into a strong voice assistant since then but still lags behind Google Assistant and Apple's Siri in some areas.
Moreover, with AI, Google and Apple are working on making their voice assistants even more intelligent and smarter. Google now allows setting Gemini as your assistant on your phone, while Apple is also working on its AI module for the upcoming iOS release.
In today's news, Samsung isn't staying out of the game either. It is reportedly working on upgrading Bixby with generative AI tech.
Samsung to Enhance Bixby Assistant Using Generative AI
Won-joon Choi, the executive vice president at Samsung's mobile business, revealed to CNBC that the company is “working so hard” to bring generative AI features to Bixby. He said “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.”
Choi believes that doing so will “enable a more natural conversation and to work out an interface that supports the Samsung products in our ecosystem.”
Bixby Continues Evolving Into A More Capable Voice Assistant
Bixby was first made available on Samsung's smartphones. With time, it has improved significantly, reaching some other smart devices like TVs, wearables, home appliances, etc. It serves as a convenient way of interacting with Samsung's smart device ecosystem. On smartphones, it has some powerful features and tools, such as Bixby Voice and Bixby Vision, to name a few, but the chatbot will become a whole lot better and more useful once it gains generative AI support.
Samsung also introduced some generative AI tech with the Galaxy S24 smartphones and a host of other AI features. These updates were made possible thanks to a multi-year partnership between Google and Samsung. Samsung leveraged Google's Gemini 2 and Imagen 2 models via Google Cloud.
Now, we'll see Bixby also benefit from the gen AI magic. This time, though, Samsung could be preparing its own solution.
Samsung Has Been Working on Its Own Generative AI Model
During the Samsung AI Forum 2023, held in November last year, Samsung revealed that its research team has been working on a generative AI model called Samsung Gauss. Its name comes from Carl Friedrich Gauss, the German mathematician and astronomer who developed the normal distribution theory. This theory is the backbone of machine learning, data science, and AI, among other fields.
Samsung Gauss comprises different models, including Gauss Language, Gauss Code, and Gauss Image. Gauss Language is a generative language model that can help with certain tasks like composing emails, summarising documents, or translating text. Gauss Code will help developers code easily and efficiently. Lastly, Gauss Image is a generative image tech that can help create and edit creative images.
Will My Phone Get This Update?
We don't know for sure which Samsung smartphones will be eligible for this AI upgrade. It could be made available on Samsung's recent smartphone models or even other smart devices. But, if any hardware limitations arise, or if Samsung decides to keep it exclusive to the new premium smartphones only, you might need to get your hands on Samsung's upcoming flagship mobiles, which arrive with generative AI tech.
