Samsung launches Chinese version of voice recognition assistant Bixby
Samsung Electronics launched a Chinese version of its voice recognition assistant Bixby today as the world’s biggest smartphone vendor expands into the artificial intelligence sector.
The Siri-like service, officially available in China from next Thursday, supports various Chinese apps like social services WeChat and Weibo, Yelp-like Meituan Dianping, AutoNavi navigation, Baidu search, bike-sharing apps and other services. Bixby also supports English and Korean languages.
The launch of Samsung Bixby means that all major smartphone vendors like Apple and Huawei have developed their own AI technologies in China. Bixby will initially support Galaxy Note 8 and S8 models, with more models to come later, Samsung said.
Samsung’s Bixby supports various devices such as Samsung’s TV, air purifiers, washing machines, and home appliances as well as the Internet of Things.
Industry watchers said the launch will help Samsung recoup its falling share in the Chinese handset market, where the top leaders are Huawei, Oppo and Vivo.
Samsung demonstrates its AI tool Bixby to control a robot from Star Wars.
