Samsung to give Bixby an AI revamp this year

Samsung has seemingly thrown another lifeline to its beleaguered Bixby digital assistant, promising to give it an AI-based overhaul later this year.

Back in April Samsung executive Won-joon Choi revealed the company’s intention to use generative AI and LLM (large language model) technology to “redefine the role of the Bixby” assistant, which has been somewhat neglected in recent years.

In the wake of Samsung’s Unpacked even in Paris, another Samsung executive has fleshed this statement out. The head of Samsung’s mobile business, TM Roh, apparently told CNBC that his company would launch an upgraded version of its voice assistant later this year, with Samsung’s own LLM forming the base.

“We’re going to advance Bixby with application of Gen AI technology” said Roh via a translator. Presumably not an AI one.

This latest comment would appear to set a clear and pretty tight timeline for Samsung’s revamped personal assistant, with less than six months left to run in 2024.

Despite continuing to support its own Bixby assistant, Roh also said that Samsung would continue to allow multiple voice assistants on its devices. There shouldn’t be any conflict with Google’s own powerful Gemini offering, then.

Samsung went big on AI with the launch of the Galaxy S24 range earlier in the year, and it has continued its AI push with the recent reveal of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6.

With the Fold 6, for example, generative portraits will use AI to flesh your rough sketches out into recognisable images.