Electronics giant Samsung has been rumoured to launch an AI assistant, Bixby, for some time now. And it has been assumed that the assistant will be unveiled along with its upcoming flagship smartphone Galaxy S8. The latest addition to these rumours is the fact that the AI will not be limited to payments and controlling native apps. It will also be able to access the smartphone’s camera. According to a post on Sammobile website, Bixby will offer a visual search and optical character recognition tool using the Galaxy S8’s camera. The camera app will reportedly come with a dedicated Bixby button to access the assistant. The AI will then scan/identify the image and search for it online. The feature, similar to Google’s Goggles app, will have deeper integration with more applications inside the smartphone.
The South Korean tech giant is said to be in advanced stages of developing the AI assistant and S8’s software. However it is yet to be confirmed whether the company will limit the assistant to the upcoming flagship smartphone or release it for its other models as well.
News about Bixby started popping up in December last year. The AI, it is believed, has been developed by Viv, a startup acquired by Samsung recently.
The app is also rumoured to work in the same way as the AI tech used with Google Photos and iOS 10. In addition, Bixby may eventually replace Samsung S-Voice completely. The AI will be able to answer context-based queries, currently seen on Google Assistant.
Besides Bixby, a new UI feature might be introduced in the Galaxy S8 – an ‘always on’ status bar. This would allow for a one swipe access to quick settings and toggles.
In all possibility, Samsung may launch the Galaxy S8 on March 29 this year. The company, however, is yet to reveal the final launch date.
Samsung Galaxy S8’s camera will be powered by Apple Siri rival
