Samsung introduces Bixby 2.0, hopes it will take on Amazon’s Alexa

At the Samsung Developer Conference (SDC) 2017 in San Francisco, South Korean multinational conglomerate Samsung showcased its next big step in artificial intelligence-driven virtual assistants by introducing Bixby 2.0. The tech behemoth termed it as a significant leap in the digital assistant space saying it would transform the digital lives of its consumers.

When the world’s biggest smartphone maker had launched the first iteration of Bixby, it had limited its reach to the firm’s flagship Galaxy line-up. However, the new iteration will be made open to developers so that can put this personal assistant on more devices. This puts Bixby, in the same path as Amazon’s Alexa or Google’s Assistant and one shouldn’t be surprised if the firm comes up with its own array of products that work similar to the smart speakers available in the market. The market for smart speakers in yet vastly untapped and Samsung stands to win big if it makes a foray into this market.

An indication of the same is found in the blog spot written by Eui-Suk Chung, Executive Vice President and Head of Service Intelligence of Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics saying, “Bixby 2.0 will ultimately be a marketplace, for intelligence. A new channel for developers to reach users with their service, not just on mobile devices, but through all devices. Over time, we will rollout variety of revenue models to maximize our partners’ business opportunities in this new paradigm. Hopefully making it as fruitful as the move from feature to smartphones was for our partners.”

This means that even if Samsung doesn’t get into the smart speaker game, it’d make sure that there is an effective channel to spread across the Bixby via partnerships and collaborations. It would be interesting to see how this measures up against that of Amazon and Google’s strategy with their respective virtual assistants.