Samsung is one of the leading smartphone manufacturers in the world.
Unlike Apple, one of its closest competitors, Samsung has a wide range of devices that cater to different needs and preferences. Samsung has been in the smartphone business for quite some time, and in that many years, the company from South Korea has established itself as a major player in the industry.
On the outside, and on the hardware department, there is no denying that Samsung pretty much best everyone.
Samsung’s smartphones are known for their high-quality displays, and powerful processors. Samsung has also been at the forefront of smartphone design, with devices that feature curved screens, foldable displays, and other cutting-edge technologies.
Samsung has also continued to innovate and improve its devices, with new features such as 5G connectivity, improved cameras, and longer battery life.
But apart from that, Samsung is kind of lacking in the software side.
And in the world where generative AI is taking over as the hype of technology, thanks to OpenAI's ChatGPT, pretty much all industries are expecting to see more of it.
As a company working for profit, Samsung has to innovate.
Samsung, which has faced stiff competition from other smartphone manufacturers, such as Apple and Huawei, announced what it calls 'Galaxy AI'.
Piggybacking the AI hype, Samsung Electronics has set out a plan to revolutionize its smartphones, as well as its other consumer electronics products, with AI-driven technology.
Realizing, and also recognizing AI as the cornerstone of innovation and is reshaping the future of its products, Samsung is starting to embed AI capabilities across a diverse spectrum of devices.
At CES 2024, where AI took many of the highlights in the many showcased brands, AI also creeps into Samsung.
Before, Samsung has what it calls 'Bixby', which is a competitor to Google Assistant, but with ability that many considers hugely inferior.
Besides being inferior, many people hate Bixby because Samsung introduced it as an assistant that lived inside the power button. That, was a ploy from Samsung to force more people to try Bixby.
Then, Bixby was introduced when Google Assistant, as well as others like Amazon Alexa and Apple Siri were already thriving.
With Galaxy AI, Samsung is like supercharging Bixby to be more than just a mere assistant.
At its Unpacked 2024 event, Samsung announced its flagship Samsung Galaxy S24, and showcased how Galaxy AI is a hybrid on-device, cloud-based AI that provides "barrier-free communication, simplified productivity, and unconstrained creativity."
Initially introduced as one of the Galaxy S24’s highlight features, it can be used in a variety of ways that range from answering questions to editing images and more.
For example, the AI allows users to get easy access to Google's Circle to Search feature.
Users can also use it for Live Translate, which lets users get real-time interpretation while they're on the phone.
Galaxy AI also powers Samsung's Note Assist, which can help users make long story short.
It also powers Photo Assist, which is Samsung's AI-powered editing feature that lets users get the photo they want by relocating objects, intelligently fill empty spaces, and more.
This happens because the AI is a result of a partnership between Samsung with Google Cloud, which brings Google Gemini to the high-end smartphone.
By bringing Gemini to a smartphone, the Galaxy S24 becomes the first phone to ever integrate Google’s largest AI model yet.
"With Gemini, Samsung’s developers can leverage Google Cloud’s world-class infrastructure, cutting-edge performance, and flexibility to deliver safe, reliable, and engaging generative AI powered applications on Samsung smartphone devices," said Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian.
The Head of Consumer Electronics at Samsung Electronics East Africa, Sam Odhiambo, spoke highly of the AI and how it’s the catalyst for transformative experiences. Odhiambo further said that Samsung is infusing AI into its products to create personalized, intuitive, and seamlessly connected experiences.
“Central to Samsung’s strategy is fostering an open ecosystem, facilitating collaborations with partners to enrich AI experiences. The SmartThings platform, already hosting millions of devices, exemplifies Samsung’s commitment to collaborative innovation,” said Odhiambo.
Samsung has invested for over a decade in AI technology, an investment that is now becoming evident in its popular products and evolving services.
It's worth noting that Samsung uses Gemini in its global market. In China however, it opts to use Baidu's Ernie AI, which shall handle the behind-the-scenes works for features like Note Assist and more.