The term artificial intelligence has been greatly misused by phone makers and tech reporters alike lately. After Amazon made a hit with its Alexa virtual butler on the Echo home gadget that sold millions, Google came up with its Assistant, Apple boosted the Siri capabilities, and Samsung will reportedly come up with Bixby for the Galaxy S8, based on its acquisition of Viv Labs.
They are all called AI by the marketing departments, but are in fact glorified voice recognition and machine learning software with limited functionality beyond predetermined commands, or answers to a follow-up question or two. Samsung, however, seemingly has larger ambitions for Bixby, as it reportedly plans to incorporate it throughout the Galaxy S8 interface, individual apps included, and even place it into its Internet of Things network of smart home appliances, for instance.
This rumor just got semi-confirmed by Samsung's own privacy info page on its Italian website. Not only is the virtual assistant indeed listed as Bixby in the documentation, but, according to Google Translate, "you can control all operations with the touch interface using voice commands with Bixby." The privacy document has been last updated two weeks ago, and seems to refer to all of Samsung's "mobile devices," so the Bixby helper could eventually debut with the S8, and make its way downstream to the A-series, or even Samsung's lowly J-class at some point. As to how exactly will Bixby let you command the interface with your voice, remains to be seen two weeks from now when Samsung takes the stage to intro the S8.
Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.
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