Having just unleashed a more intelligent version of its Bixby assistant, Samsung is now doubling down on AI assistance with the launch of Microsoft’s Copilot on its latest televisions and smart monitors.
The announcement should be warmly welcomed by those who love their voice-based TV controls, because it comes after the disappointing removal of Google Assistant from all Samsung models last year.
Samsung didn’t say why it had withdrawn Google Assistant, though its decision was likely due to Google’s planned rollout of Gemini AI as a replacement for that feature. With Gemini AI only supported on Android and Google TVs at present, it appears Samsung didn’t really have a choice but to remove it.
The company said last week it’s updating Bixby, but its own AI doesn’t have the same reputation as tools such as Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, so the decision to add Microsoft’s Copilot at least gives users an alternative.
Samsung first said it would bring Copilot to its TVs in January at this year’s CES show. It’s not the only company to get it, as LG said it will also come to its 2025 TVs, but Samsung is the first to live up to its promise.
According to Samsung, Copilot is available as an app on the Tizen OS homescreen, as well as Samsung Daily+ and Click to Search, offering conversational support to users.
Microsoft AI General Manager David Washington said Copilot on Samsung TVs will act like an AI companion. “Together with Samsung’s leadership in advanced display technology, we’re bringing people a shared experience that helps them discover something to watch, ask questions, make plans or simply enjoy a moment together, all on the biggest screen in their home,” he promised.
It can help with navigation, assist with content recommendations, provide information, summarise and blurt out facts about movies, TV shows and their actors and actresses. It supports multiple languages, the company said.
As an example, a user could ask Copilot for a recap of a series they started watching only to give up, by saying: “I want to get back into The Crown, I left off at Season 3, Episode 4. What happened up until then?” Alternatively, users can ask for ultra-specific recommendations by saying something like: “I want to watch something like The Queen’s Gambit, but about cooking instead of chess, and under two hours.”
Microsoft Copilot will also provide more general assistance by scouring the web for information, so someone could ask if “Saturday in Devon will have weather conditions for hiking?”. Or if someone has recently broken up with their partner, they might just ask Copilot to “cheer me up after a breakup”, and it will, presumably, do its best.
Samsung said Copilot is available now on all of its 2025 OLED, Neo-QLED and The Frame models, as well as its M7, M8 and M9 smart monitors. It’s also coming to its much-vaunted Micro RGB TV, which is currently sold in South Korea and expected to launch in other regions later this year.
