With AI tech, Samsung Electronics on par with Apple: Han Jong-hee

MILAN, ITALY – South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. has for years been desperate to catch up to US Big Tech Apple Inc. in high-end smartphones and other advanced electronics gadgets.

Armed with artificial intelligence technology, however, Samsung is on an equal footing with or even ahead of its archrival, Han Jong-hee, vice chairman and head of Samsung’s Device eXperience (DX) division, said on Wednesday.

“Through our SmartThings ecosystem, we have connected various electronic goods from smartphones to refrigerators and vehicles. If we’re better at connectivity, I think Apple will be just an easy competitor of ours,” he said at a press conference with Korean reporters at EuroCucina 2024, one of the world’s largest kitchen goods events, held on the sidelines of Milan Design Week.

“We will continue to enhance connectivity with AI technology to eliminate as much inconvenience as possible for our consumers,” he said.

The Samsung home appliance chief said the company’s brand image among consumers is already among the world’s best as the company’s TV sales have been rated top for 18 consecutive years and its Galaxy line of smartphones competes fiercely with Apple’s iPhones.

“Who knew Apple would be in a difficult situation because it was not good at AI?” Han said.

BIXBY WITH LLM-BASED GENERATIVE AI

Han said Samsung plans to add a large-language model (LLM)-based generative AI to its voice-activated virtual assistant Bixby in July.

“Our goal is to make sure AI does everything with verbal orders,” he said. “We will apply generative AI to new products due this year and then expand our AI technology to other products.”

Samsung officials said if LLM-based generative AI is incorporated into Bixby, more natural conversions will be possible between the user and gadgets.

For example, if the user says “I’m cold,” Bixby will turn up the room temperature. And if the user says “I’m going out,” the digital assistant will turn off the TV and lights, according to Samsung.

“No company makes more products across various segments than Samsung. If we can connect all those products with our connectivity technology, that will be a huge competitive advantage,” Han said.

“In the electronics market, finding the pain point where consumers feel uncomfortable is the key to winning. And that’s what Samsung is good at.”

SAMSUNG AIMS FOR TOP SPOT IN HOME APPLIANCE MARKET

Samsung, the world’s top memory chipmaker, set up a booth at EuroCucina 2024 to showcase its latest built-in home appliances under its premium Bespoke brand – all linked to its SmartThings ecosystem to maximize connectivity and boost user conveniences.

Products on display include Samsung’s Bespoke AI Family Hub refrigerator, equipped with a 32-inch screen, and the Anyplace Induction, which enables users to cook anywhere on the cooktop thanks to the 22 rectangular sheet coils that extend across the cooktop.

Han said the all-in-one washer and dryer Bespoke AI Laundry Combo released last month is already popular among consumers.

More than 10,000 units of the Bespoke AI Laundry Combo have been sold in just 40 days after launch, he said.

“Our consumers know how convenient our home appliance products are. Although we’re not yet the world’s top home appliance maker, I hope we will be able to smile on that front by this year’s end,” he said.

Regarding the fast-emerging Chinese home appliance makers, Han said: “Samsung has reached the stage of connecting nearly all home appliances with AI. China is still releasing products that work separately one after another.”

Write to Chae-Yeon Kim at why29@hankyung.com

In-Soo Nam edited this article.