That was fast.
About a month after agreeing to buy Viv — the AI firm helmed by the same engineers who created Siri — Samsung is readying a voice assistant of its own.
Multiple reports say to expect the service by early next year, and sources even tellThe Wall Street Journal that Samsung will add a dedicated button to its next smartphone.
Seen as the future of mobile computing, digital assistants are everywhere. Along with Siri, Samsung’s offering will compete against Ok Google, Facebook M, Amazon’s Alexa, and Microsoft’s Cortana. And those are just the established players.
But, by buying Viv, Samsung immediately put itself into the running. Indeed, Viv’s inventors, Dag Kittlaus and Adam Cheyer, say that the technology improves on their earlier work with Siri.
Powered by artificial intelligence, Viv can reportedly process more advanced queries than Siri, and answer multilayered questions like, “What’s the weather near Disneyland?”
Vic can also reportedly process an unprecedented volumes of data, which makes it possible to become the portal through which billions of people connect to services and businesses, online.
Today, 40% of smartphone owners already use digital assistants, according to a recent survey conducted by Parks Associates. Not surprising, millennials are most likely to partake (46%), but — as the technology continues to improve and we get more comfortable talking to our gadgets — such services are increasingly becoming common practice.
What’s more, nearly three quarters (72%) of consumers who use digital assistants are already satisfied with their capabilities, while more than a third (38%) of those consumers report being very satisfied.
