Samsung chief hints at upgraded Bixby launching later this year

Samsung confirms AI-powered Bixby upgrade coming later this year, joining the trend of smartphone makers incorporating generative AI features into their personal assistants.

Samsung Bixby is currently available on smartphones, accessories, and home appliances (Express Photo)

At the recently concluded Galaxy Unpacked 2024, Samsung unveiled new Galaxy devices and also introduced the latest capabilities of Galaxy AI. Right after the presentation, TM Roh, the head of Samsung’s mobile division, confirmed the launch of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered Bixby by the end of this year, reports CNBC.

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“We’re going to advance Bixby with the application of Gen AI technology,” TM Roh said. This is not the first time we have heard about the upgraded Bixby. Earlier this year, at the first Unpacked event, the launch of an improved Bixby was mentioned. It was slated to be part of the Galaxy AI initiative.

The latest announcement of ChatGPT-powered Siri by Apple at WWDC is another testament that most smartphone makers are likely to incorporate generative AI features into their personal assistants in the coming days.

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Bixby was first announced by Samsung back in 2017 with the launch of the Galaxy S8 series, and to push it further, the South Korean smartphone company also released smartphones with a dedicated physical button to summon Bixby. However, due to lacklustre features, especially when compared to something like Google Assistant, Bixby failed to make a mark as Samsung wanted it to be.

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For now, there isn’t much information on what to expect from the new Bixby. However, considering the current trend, it is most likely to come with voice and text-based human-like conversation capabilities, the ability to understand and respond to a query with proper context, and Bixby could also double as an AI chatbot that can interact with other apps on Samsung phones.

The new Bixby could arrive as a part of the upcoming OneUI 7 update, which will be based on Android 15 OS, which is likely to go official during the Samsung Developer Conference (SDC) 2024, happening on October 3. This means the new Bixby will not be limited to just the latest devices, and it is likely to be compatible with at least two generations of Samsung Galaxy S and Z series smartphones.