Samsung Electronics is taking on Google’s Gemini and other generative AI models with the launch of an enhanced Bixby assistant on its Tizen-powered TVs.
Bixby has been around for years, but it hasn’t proven to be that successful or popular because its functionality simply doesn’t compared to something like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, for example. To be fair to Samsung, many of its rivals have also struggled with the likes of Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa also being ignored by millions of TV owners around the world.
However, the good news is that Samsung seems to have recognized this, and the revamped Bixby supports more conversational experiences for users, with one of the main goals being to enhance content discovery. So you could ask it, for example, to suggest titles involving your favourite actress or actor, or suggest a new series that’s similar to something you enjoyed, such as Breaking Bad.
Alternatively, it can respond to general queries too, so you can ask it “how tall is Mount Everest?”, and it will respond, pulling up videos that may answer the question in more detail.
The new Bixby can be activated on Samsung TVs by voice, or by tapping the microphone button on the remote control. Samsung said it now supports “contextual understanding” and follow-up questions, so if you’re watching a movie and you ask, “who is that actor?”, it will know you’re probably talking about the person on-screen and respond correctly. In addition, Bixby gains the ability to control Samsung SmartThings devices, acting as a kind of control hub for smart homes.
"With a smarter Bixby, we focused on making AI practical, helping viewers connect with content in smarter, more natural ways," said Hun Lee, Executive Vice President of the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics.
Samsung's TVs also support the Amazon Alexa assistant, and they used to support Google Assistant, but it extinguished that feature last year, apparently in response to Google's plans to retire the service and replace it with its Gemini AI tool.
Samsung said the new and improved Bixby is launching this month in the U.S., South Korea, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, and will initially come to its 2025 Neo QLED and QD-OLED TVs, before arriving on some older models later. It didn’t say how far back it intends to go, but that suggests it will at least come to 2024 Samsung TVs, if not even older ones.
U.K.-based Samsung TV owners are being forced to wait with baited breath, for there’s no word on when they’ll get to access a better Bixby, but with any luck it won’t be too long.
In addition to Bixby, Samsung is planning to update its Vision AI service, with an update slated for October, as part of its seven-year free Tizen OS upgrade program. But again, it didn’t say if U.K. customers will get Vision AI, which provides personalised features such as real-time content translation, smart home integration and adaptive picture and sound quality.
Samsung’s move comes ahead of similar updates on other TV platforms, with the likes of Amazon, Google and Apple all stating they have plans to develop AI-powered assistants specifically for televisions. Google will launch Gemini on Google TVs later this year, while Amazon is previewing Alexa+ on its Fire TVs. An improved Siri is expected to land on Apple TVs next year.
