Samsung Elevates AI Home Life with Upgraded Voice Control in its Bespoke AI Appliances

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced that it will update its voice assistant Bixby[1] with enhanced AI in home appliances.[2] Bixby will have a comprehension ability that better understands complex commands based on natural language[3], providing easy device control for users.

“At Samsung, we believe that the power of a connected home goes beyond convenience – it’s about creating meaningful experiences that enhance the quality of everyday life for Australians. With the enhanced AI capabilities of Bixby in our home appliances, we’re making it easier for consumers to interact with their devices, allowing them to control their home environment with personalised commands. This advancement underscores our commitment to innovation that truly resonates with consumers, enabling them to live smarter, more efficient lives.” said Jeremy Senior, Vice President, Consumer Electronics at Samsung Australia.

Samsung launched multiple home appliances with AI features earlier this year, such as the AI Family Hub™ French Door Refrigerator featuring AI Vision Inside,[4] Bespoke Jet Bot Combo™ AI with upgraded AI Object Recognition,[5] and Bespoke AI Laundry Combo™ with AI Home.[6] Taking another step forward, Samsung aims to create an even richer consumer experience by introducing new features.

Bixby: Better Voice Control for Appliances

The upgraded Bixby enables better voice control through three main capabilities[7] — understanding complex commands (Multi-Intent), recalling previous conversations (Multi-Turn) and responding to product-related questions (Device Q&A).[8] Samsung is providing the update to five products launched in 2024 first: the AI Family Hub™ French Door Refrigerator; Bespoke AI Heat Pump Combo™; Bespoke Slide-in Range[9]; Bespoke Jet Bot Combo™ AI; and Bespoke AI WindFree™ Gallery Freestanding Air Conditioner.[10]

The upgraded Bixby can understand commands that consist of multiple or unrelated requests in one sentence. Consumers can control other devices connected by SmartThings[11] with the upgraded Bixby as well, so they can express their needs more naturally than before. For example, consumers can ask the Bespoke AI Heat Pump Combo™, “Hi Bixby, set the wash cycle to Super Speed” and Bixby will process the command. [12]

Bixby is also capable of remembering contexts of past conversations,[13] allowing users to engage in ongoing dialogues with devices rather than issuing isolated commands. If consumers say to the AI Family Hub™ French Door Refrigerator, “Hi Bixby, tell me what time the family dinner is today” and Bixby responds to it, users can follow up and say, “Then set the washing machine to finish one hour before that.”[14]

Lastly, it can provide assistance to users when they encounter problems while using compatible appliances or become curious about certain cycles or features. When the screen on the appliance shows an error code, users can turn to Bixby to ask what it means instead of searching through the user manual or contacting the call center. They can ask questions like, “Hi Bixby, I can hear clicking noises in the fridge, why is that?”, and Bixby will provide several answers. Appliances with screens, such as refrigerators with AI Family Hub™ or the Bespoke AI Heat Pump Combo, will display the response on the screen, while appliances without screens will provide audio responses.

Samsung plans to exhibit the Bespoke AI appliances featuring the upgraded Bixby at IFA 2024, allowing more people to experience and understand how it will enhance the user experience.

[1] Bixby is Samsung’s brand of Internet of Things (IoT) voice assistant. Bixby service availability may vary depending on the country. Bixby recognizes certain accents/dialects of English (US, UK, Indian), Chinese, Korean, French, German, Italian, Spanish (Spain, Latin America), and Portuguese (Brazil). The user interface may change and differ by device. The availability of Bixby features and content providers may vary depending on the country/carrier/language/device model/OS version. A Samsung account log-in and data network connection (Wi-Fi or data network) are required.

[2] The update is available for appliances launched in 2024 including the Bespoke 4-Door Refrigerator with AI Family Hub™; Bespoke AI Laundry Combo™; Bespoke Slide-in Range (not available for purchase in Australia); Bespoke Jet Bot Combo™ AI; and Bespoke AI WindFree™ Gallery Freestanding Air Conditioner (not available for purchase in Australia).

[3] Compared to previous version of Bixby.

[4] As of March 2024, AI Vision Inside can recognize up to 33 food items, such as fresh fruits and vegetables. If a food item is not recognizable, it may be listed as an unknown item. AI Vision Inside cannot identify or list any food items in the refrigerator door bins or freezer. It recognizes food items based on deep learning models, which may be updated periodically to improve accuracy.

[5] Based on Samsung’s deep learning model trained using predefined sets of data. May yield incomplete or incorrect information. New datasets may be introduced to Samsung’s learning model from time to time to enhance its accuracy.

[6] Does not mean all services available on the AI Home are AI or generate information or outcomes using AI. AI Smart Dial, AI Wash & Dry, and Voice enabled with Bixby accessible through the AI Home utilize AI-based algorithms, which may be updated periodically to improve accuracy. AI-based algorithms may generate incomplete or incorrect information.

[7] In order to control other devices, all devices must be connected to SmartThings under the same Samsung account. Control is limited to connected devices’ original features, and voice control activated features may be limited, depending on the type of the product and the model that execute the commands.

[8] Multi-Intent and Multi-Turn are supported in the following languages: English (US, UK, India), Korean, Spanish (Latin America, Europe), French, German, Italian, and Portuguese (Brazil). Device Q&A is currently available for English (US) and Korean. The following scenario is based on English (US) and may vary depending on user language settings.

[9] Not available for purchase in Australia.

[10] Not available for purchase in Australia.

[11] Available on Android and iOS devices. A Wi-Fi connection and a Samsung account are required. Users must use the same log-in account between devices.

[12] The following scenario is based on English (US) and may vary depending on user language settings or regional differences.

[13] Only available while the dialog box is open.

[14] This is an example in which a family dinner is scheduled and the smart control is turned on, with the end of the wash cycle being possible within that timeframe.