Move out, Siri. Samsung has just announced the integration of Viv, an artificial intelligence (AI) digital assistant for its upcoming Galaxy S8 smartphones. Viv works not just as a one-way question-and-answer assistant for mobile phones, but also as a platform that can perform complex tasks for wearable devices and home appliances.
Stepping out from a major hiccup with their Galaxy Note 7 smartphones that has resulted in almost $3bn in losses, Samsung's recent procurement of Viv Labs Inc., the brains behind the Viv AI platform, shows that the South Korean company is not going anywhere after the Galaxy Note 7 device quality fiasco. Viv Labs Inc. is also one of the companies behind Apple's Siri, the infamous voice-assisted platform that has transformed the way people search for information online. A recent poll shows that 98% of iPhone users in the US are dependent on Siri.
Samsung is taking the game to the next level by offering an upgraded version of Siri, with the hopes of luring in consumer confidence once again. The company is now under intense pressure to perform very well on its Galaxy S8 to offset the losses brought by Galaxy Note 7.
As of today, Viv integration is still in the works and Samsung executives remain mum about its specific development to avoid preempting wrong expectations from consumers and investors. However, Samsung Executive Vice President Rhee Injong gives out a promise that Viv is being redefined by the best programmers to make the platform smarter and open to further developments based on consumers' preferences. Viv is also being developed as a multi-functional AI that can be integrated with all of Samsung's wide range of devices that include smartphones, tablets, wearables, cameras, refrigerators, washing machines, cooking appliances, cleaning appliances, heating systems, and smart home systems.
AI is now the way to go for companies if they want to survive in the stiff, competitive field of information technology. As consumers get more adept and savvy with their knowledge on technologies, companies are in an even greater pressure to get ahead of the game. To date, Samsung faces the biggest competition from Google, considered the world's leader in AI technologies, as well as from Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft who are market leaders in their own rights.
Viv's launch is expected in early 2018. And Viv is just one of the many acquisitions Samsung plans to have this coming year.
