New research from Samsung Canada reveals a growing productivity paradox, with technology amplifying both capability and complexity in everyday life.

Three-quarters (75%) of Canadians say technology helps them get things done faster, yet 68% say it also gives them more to manage, according to a new survey of 1,547 adults. The tension even extends to Gen Z, as more than half say manual steps and app switching stand in the way of getting things done.

The data points to a clear expectation from Canadians: Technology should not only help them accomplish their goals, but also simplify the steps along the way. More than half (57%) agree that the more digital tools they use, the more they have to manage.

“Technology has delivered enormous gains in what people can accomplish, but these findings show that more capability doesn’t automatically mean less effort,” said Tarik Akad, Vice President of the Mobile Experience Division, Samsung Canada. “The industry’s challenge now is not simply adding more intelligent features. It is making that intelligence almost invisible, working in the background to surface what matters, remove unnecessary steps and make everything else feel simpler.”

Digital Friction Creates Extra Work

For many Canadians, extra work shows up in routine digital tasks at least a few times a week:

• Messages and notifications: 77% say managing messages and notifications creates unnecessary effort or slows them down
• Searching for information: 70% say searching for information they know they’ve already received or seen creates unnecessary effort or slows them down
• Competing demands: 66% say keeping track of multiple tasks or conversations at once creates unnecessary effort or slows them down.
• Switching between apps: 62% say moving between apps or digital services creates unnecessary effort or slows them down

The effects extend beyond time lost. At least a few times per week, 59% of Canadians say they feel mentally drained or overwhelmed when technology, information or competing priorities make it harder to get things done, while 57% spend more time deciding what to do next than actually doing it. And nearly half (46%) agree they often end the day feeling busy without feeling as productive as expected.

The findings reveal an opportunity for mobile experiences to reduce some of those everyday challenges. Samsung Galaxy devices bring AI-powered features into the moments people need them, with tools like Now Brief[1] and Now Nudge[2] helping users stay on top of relevant information and trim their to-do lists in fewer steps.

Gen Z Is Ready For AI To Do More

Even for Gen Z, growing up with technology hasn’t eliminated digital friction. More than half of Gen Z (58%) agree to spending too much time on manual steps just to make technology work, while 51% say switching between apps or digital services creates unnecessary effort or slows them down at least daily. More than half (53%) feel mentally drained or overwhelmed at least daily when technology, information or competing priorities get in the way.

At the same time, Gen Z is highly receptive to AI that works harder for them: 83% selected at least one AI feature as potentially valuable for helping them get things done with less effort.

Canadians Want AI To Tackle Busywork

Two-thirds of Canadians (66%) selected at least one AI feature as being potentially valuable for helping them get things done with less effort. They see value in simplifying information, automating repetitive tasks, supporting decision making and bringing information together across apps and services.

The same desire for simplicity extends to everyday mobile experiences. Reducing the number of steps needed to complete a task was the most frequently selected improvement (38%), followed by bringing relevant information together rather than searching across apps (30%).

Other priorities included completing more tasks without switching devices (29%), moving between tasks without losing their place (29%), reducing distractions (25%) and viewing multiple pieces of information at once (23%).

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Survey Methodology:

The Productivity Gap survey was conducted on behalf of Samsung Electronics Canada using the Leger Opinion panel platform with 1,547 Canadian adults aged 18+. The study was conducted between August 31 and September 2, 2026, and was conducted in English and French. Results were weighted by age, gender and region to match the population according to Census data. For comparison purposes, a probability-based sample of 1,500 respondents would have a margin of error of ±2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

[1] Now Brief feature requires Samsung Account login. Service availability may vary by country, language, device model, apps. Some features may require a network connection. Modes and Routines need to be enabled to use Personal Data Engine for context-based Routines suggestions. User needs to consent to access permissions such as photos, videos, audio files, and calendar events. May not display moments depending upon exposure policy. The description of photos provided by moments may not align with the user’s intent. Events schedule notification is supported with calendar apps that utilize Android calendar database and available if Samsung Calendar is installed. Notifications for coupons only available for coupons added to Samsung Wallet with expiration date. To check the Energy Score, the health data tracked from Samsung Galaxy Watch or Samsung Galaxy Ring must be synchronized with the Samsung Health App. The result is for your personal reference only and is not intended for medical purposes.

[2] Now Nudge feature requires a Samsung Account login. Available functions and features may vary by country, region and language. Text message prompts available with certain third-party messaging apps including Google Messages and Google Chat. Split view supported apps may vary. Share photos in Now Nudge works by analyzing available image content. Accuracy of results is not guaranteed.

While the two features offer different camera experiences, both draw on expertise spanning foundational technology research, feature development, and user experience design.

As part of “The People Behind the Galaxy Z Fold8 Series’ Camera Innovations,” Samsung Newsroom sat down with experts from Samsung Research and the Mobile eXperience (MX) Business to discuss the technical challenges and collaboration behind the two features.

Since the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold8 series, one feature has been generating buzz among K-pop fans as a must-have — My FanCam.[1] Users simply select a person in a video, and My FanCam automatically tracks their movements throughout.

The feature makes it easy to put someone in the spotlight, from a favourite artist in concert footage to family and friends in everyday moments.

▲ (From left) Sherry Hong, Sunghwan Kim, and Hwangpil Park

Behind this experience is Samsung Research’s AI technology for reliably tracking people in video, integrated into a mobile feature through close collaboration with the MX Business. Samsung Newsroom spoke with Hwangpil Park of the Visual Technology Team at Samsung Research as well as Sunghwan Kim and Sherry Hong of the Multimedia Development Group at the MX Business about My FanCam.

A User-Centered Approach

Q: What inspired My FanCam?

Hong: We started by asking how we could make it easier for users to create videos focused on the people they want to see. As shooting, editing, and sharing content on smartphones have become commonplace, fan cams of favourite artists have gained popularity on social media. In response to this trend, we envisioned My FanCam — a feature that lets anyone create a video centered on a person of their choice with just a few taps — and worked with Samsung Research to bring the idea to life

The Technology Behind Reliable Tracking

Q: What technology enables My FanCam to continuously track someone in a video?

Park: The key to My FanCam’s ability to follow a selected person even in complex scenes is an AI model that precisely recognizes individuals. The model identifies and remembers each person’s location and visual characteristics, allowing it to recognize the same person throughout the video and continue tracking them.

▲ My FanCam’s process

Q: What was the main focus for the user experience?

Kim: We focused on reducing wait times while editing. Users may want to switch between people in group videos, but reanalyzing the video each time would mean waiting again. We designed My FanCam to analyze multiple people at once, letting users switch between subjects and instantly see the results once the initial analysis is complete.

We also simplified the editing process. Users can easily adjust the aspect ratio to fit the scene and create a video that suits their needs.

▲ My FanCam’s aspect ratio adjustment feature

Q: How did the two teams collaborate to turn the technology into a Galaxy feature?

Hong: It was crucial not only to identify the issues, but also to find a solution for the said issues; validating that the results were key to our process. The more the concept was solidified, the more full-fledged the development process became. In order to keep up with the development progress, weekly meetings turned into daily meetings and in those daily meetings, we made sure to track progress every morning.

Testing a large range of scenarios is important before rolling out new features. To help the development team test a wide range of scenarios, multiple team members helped with the process. Some brought in old videos from their college days, such as dance club videos. Others would bring a phone and film new footage, such as climbing hobbies.

▲ Hong shows a personal video used for testing.

Park: Technology that worked well in a research environment sometimes performed differently with real-world footage due to variables such as fast movement and people overlapping in the frame. When the MX Business team shared these cases, Samsung Research analyzed the causes and refined the AI model and tracking methods. We then validated the changes in the product environment, repeating the process to improve the feature.

▲ Park discusses the development of My FanCam.

Q: What was the biggest challenge in bringing My FanCam to mobile devices?

Kim: The key challenge was processing AI workloads entirely on-device without a separate server. Longer videos require more computation, so we had to consider processing speed, power consumption, and heat generation. Samsung Research optimized the AI model to achieve the required results with less computation, while the MX Business team streamlined the entire process — from video decoding to data transfer and analysis — reducing computational load with minimal impact on performance.

▲ Kim explains how My FanCam was optimized for on-device performance.

Park: We also had to account for situations that can make it difficult to select a person in videos. At school performances or sports days, for example, the person that users want to focus on may not appear until midway through the video or may be obscured by others. We therefore designed My FanCam so users can find a moment when their subject is clearly visible and select them at any point in the video.

From Favourite Artists to Everyday Moments

Q: Any tips for getting the most out of My FanCam?

Kim: When filming, I recommend using a high-resolution setting and framing the shot a little wider to leave space around the person. When selecting a subject, choose a frame where they don’t overlap too much with others and their face, upper body, or full body is clearly visible.

My FanCam also works with existing footage, such as videos of past concerts, trips, or children’s activities. Because users don’t need to follow a particular person while filming, they can focus more on the moment itself.

For example, users can set up a tripod to film a workout, then use My FanCam to create a video centered on themselves without someone else behind the camera.

▲ My FanCam in different scenarios

Q: How do you hope users will use My FanCam?

Park: Since My FanCam works with videos not shot on a Galaxy device, I hope people will try it with a wide range of footage. It can offer a fresh perspective on old videos, helping users revisit meaningful moments by focusing on someone special.

Hong: Some may think that being a fan is only about liking an idol or celebrity. But to me, it simply means caring deeply about someone or something — whether that’s an artist, family member, friend, or even yourself. I’d like to see people use My FanCam to capture the people and moments that matter to them.

▲ Developers discuss how collaboration made My FanCam possible.

What began as an idea focused on user convenience has evolved into My FanCam, a new video experience combining AI, mobile optimization, and close teamwork. From concerts to everyday life, My FanCam makes it easier to capture and edit videos of moments worth remembering.

In part two of this series, Samsung Newsroom will explore how the large-aperture camera lens emulation technology brings the expressive qualities of professional lenses to mobile devices and the collaboration behind its development.

[1] My FanCam feature requires a Samsung Account login. Availability may vary by video. Not supported if there is no subject to track. Samsung does not make any promises, assurances or guarantees as to the accuracy, completeness or reliability of the output provided by AI features. Galaxy AI basic features provided by Samsung are free. Future releases may include enhanced features or new services that are offered on a paid basis. Different terms may apply for AI features provided by third parties. Galaxy AI basic features are those services listed under “Advanced intelligence” in the current Samsung Services Terms and Conditions.

Samsung Canada has been named an IDC CIO Awards Canada 2026 winner in recognition of its work advancing AI-enabled customer service experiences. The award recognizes Canadian organizations and teams using technology in innovative ways to deliver measurable business value and advance digital transformation.

This year’s recognition highlights Samsung Canada’s use of IT to create a competitive advantage, streamline operations, accelerate growth, and strengthen customer relationships. By equipping frontline teams with real-time insights and reducing routine administrative tasks, Samsung Canada aims to help its agents spend more time addressing customer needs and delivering meaningful support. 

Key highlights of Samsung Canada’s AI-enabled customer service approach include: 

• Simpler, More Efficient Support: AI-powered routing, callback automation and digital support help reduce friction and connect customers with the right resources more quickly. 

• More Personalized Customer Care: Real-time AI recommendations and sentiment insights help agents better understand customer needs and provide more relevant, responsive support. 

• A More Connected Service Experience: Automated case summarization and SmartThings-enabled Home Remote Management help create greater continuity across customer interactions while enabling more proactive support. 

These capabilities have also contributed to measurable improvements in contact centre efficiency and digital adoption, while supporting Samsung Canada’s continued focus on delivering a strong customer experience. 

“Innovation at Samsung Canada is focused on using technology in ways that make the customer experience simpler, faster and more intuitive,” said Frank Martino, Vice President, Corporate Services, Samsung Canada. “By using AI to help our teams better understand and respond to customer needs, we’re enhancing the support experience today while building a strong foundation for the next generation of AI-enabled customer service.” 

Samsung Canada continues to explore how AI can enable more proactive and convenient customer support, including helping customers with repair setup, service-status updates and warranty information. 

This recognition underscores Samsung Canada’s continued focus on translating emerging technologies into practical business value, operational efficiency and stronger customer experiences. 

Looking ahead, Samsung Canada will continue advancing its AI-enabled customer service capabilities and exploring new ways to make support more connected, proactive and responsive to customers’ needs. 

As the volume of data required for AI training and inference continues to grow rapidly, enterprise SSDs (eSSDs) capable of delivering data quickly and reliably are becoming increasingly essential to AI infrastructure.

Featuring high-speed data transfer and an optimized controller architecture, PM1763 is expected to serve as a key storage solution for high-performance AI platforms.

“Built on industry-leading performance, PM1763 has successfully completed validation for next-generation AI platforms and is well positioned to support evolving AI infrastructure requirements,” said Jangseok Choi, Vice President and Head of Memory Product Planning at Samsung Electronics. “As AI models continue to grow in size and complexity, PM1763 will serve as a key solution that enables customers to efficiently scale memory capacity and optimize AI operations.”

Incorporating Samsung’s 9th-generation V-NAND and a newly developed 4-nanometer (nm) controller, PM1763 significantly improves both performance and power efficiency.

PM1763 is available in 4-terabyte (TB), 8TB and 16TB capacities, with the 16TB configuration delivering industry-leading performance with sequential read and write speeds of up to 28,400 megabytes-per-second (MB/s) and 21,900MB/s, respectively—more than 2 times the performance of its predecessor, PM1753.

This level of performance allows the transfer of a 40-gigabyte (GB) large language model (LLM) in approximately 1.4 seconds, helping minimize data latency between processors and accelerators while improving overall AI processing efficiency.

PM1763 is optimized for liquid-cooled server environments through direct-to-chip (D2C) cooling technology. This enables sustained peak performance even under intensive workloads and extended operating conditions.

Power efficiency is also improved by more than 1.8 times compared to its predecessor, helping reduce overall datacenter operating costs.

To address growing security requirements in AI, Samsung has also strengthened PM1763’s security capabilities. The drive supports post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithms designed to protect against future quantum computing threats, as well as TEE Device Interface Security Protocol (TDISP)[1], which helps secure data pathways in virtualized environments.

[1] Trusted execution environments (TEEs) are secure areas of a processor used to isolated sensitive workloads.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with AMD to expand their strategic collaboration on next-generation AI memory and computing technologies.

The signing ceremony was held at Samsung’s most advanced chip manufacturing complex in Pyeongtaek, Korea, attended by Dr. Lisa Su, Chair and CEO of AMD, and Young Hyun Jun, Vice Chairman & CEO of Samsung Electronics.

“Samsung and AMD share a commitment to advancing AI computing, and this agreement reflects the growing scope of our collaboration,” said Young Hyun Jun, Vice Chairman & CEO of Samsung Electronics. “From industry-leading HBM4 and next-generation memory architectures to cutting-edge foundry and advanced packaging, Samsung is uniquely positioned to deliver unrivaled turnkey capabilities that support AMD’s evolving AI roadmap.”

“Powering the next generation of AI infrastructure requires deep collaboration across the industry,” said Dr. Lisa Su, Chair and CEO of AMD. “We are thrilled to expand our work with Samsung, bringing together their leadership in advanced memory with our Instinct GPUs, EPYC CPUs and rack-scale platforms. Integration across the full computing stack, from silicon to system to rack, is essential to accelerating AI innovation that translates into real-world impact at scale.”

Under the MOU, Samsung and AMD will align on primary HBM4 supply for the next-generation AMD AI accelerator, the AMD Instinct MI455X GPU, as well as advanced DRAM solutions for 6^th Gen AMD EPYC CPUs, codenamed “Venice.” These technologies will support next-generation AI systems combining AMD Instinct GPUs, AMD EPYC CPUs and rack-scale architectures such as the AMD Helios platform.

Samsung and AMD are closely collaborating on advanced memory technologies for AI and data center workloads. As memory bandwidth and power efficiency become increasingly critical to system-level performance, this collaboration will help deliver more optimized AI infrastructure for customers.

Samsung’s HBM4 is built on its most advanced 6th-generation 10-nanometer (nm)-class DRAM process (1c) and a 4nm logic base die, featuring processing speeds of up to 13 gigabits-per-second (Gbps) and maximum 3.3 terabytes-per-second (TB/s) bandwidth that exceeds industry standards.

Powered by Samsung HBM4’s intuitive performance, reliability and energy efficiency, the AMD Instinct MI455X GPU is expected to be an intuitive solution for high-performance systems handling AI model training and inference.

The MI455X GPU will serve as a key building block for the AMD Helios rack-scale architecture, designed to deliver the performance and scalability required for next-generation AI infrastructure.

As part of their collaboration, Samsung and AMD will also work together on high-performance DDR5 memory optimized for the 6^th Gen AMD EPYC CPUs. The companies aim to deliver industry-leading DDR5 memory solutions for systems built on the AMD Helios rack-scale architecture.

The two companies will also discuss opportunities for foundry partnership, through which Samsung would provide foundry services for next-generation AMD products.

Samsung and AMD have collaborated for nearly two decades across graphics, mobile and computing technologies, including Samsung serving as the primary HBM3E partner to AMD, powering the latest AMD Instinct MI350X and MI355X AI accelerators.

About AMD
AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) drives innovation in high-performance and AI computing to solve the world’s most important challenges. Today, AMD technology powers billions of experiences across cloud and AI infrastructure, embedded systems, AI PCs and gaming. With a broad portfolio of AI-optimized CPUs, GPUs, networking and software, AMD delivers full-stack AI solutions that provide the performance and scalability needed for a new era of intelligent computing. Learn more at www.amd.com.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) and the strategic collaboration with Samsung Electronics, including future plans, beliefs, intentions and anticipated benefits, which are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are commonly identified by words such as “would,” “may,” “expects,” “believes,” “plans,” “intends,” “projects” and other terms with similar meaning. Investors are cautioned that the forward-looking statements in this press release are based on current beliefs, assumptions and expectations, speak only as of the date of this press release and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations. Such statements are subject to certain known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are generally beyond AMD’s control, that could cause actual results and other future events to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. Material factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, without limitation, the following: impact of government actions and regulations such as export regulations, import tariffs, trade protection measures, and licensing requirements; competitive markets in which AMD’s products are sold; the cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry; market conditions of the industries in which AMD products are sold; AMD’s ability to introduce products on a timely basis with expected features and performance levels; loss of a significant customer; economic and market uncertainty; quarterly and seasonal sales patterns; AMD’s ability to adequately protect its technology or other intellectual property; unfavorable currency exchange rate fluctuations; ability of third party manufacturers to manufacture AMD’s products on a timely basis in sufficient quantities and using competitive technologies; availability of essential equipment, materials, substrates or manufacturing processes; ability to achieve expected manufacturing yields for AMD’s products; AMD’s ability to generate revenue from its semi-custom SoC products; potential security vulnerabilities; potential security incidents including IT outages, data loss, data breaches and cyberattacks; uncertainties involving the ordering and shipment of AMD’s products; AMD’s reliance on third-party intellectual property to design and introduce new products; AMD’s reliance on third-party companies for design, manufacture and supply of motherboards, software, memory and other computer platform components; AMD’s reliance on Microsoft and other software vendors’ support to design and develop software to run on AMD’s products; AMD’s reliance on third-party distributors and add-in-board partners; impact of modification or interruption of AMD’s internal business processes and information systems; compatibility of AMD’s products with some or all industry-standard software and hardware; costs related to defective products; failure to maintain an efficient supply change as customer demand changes; AMD’s ability to rely on third party supply-chain logistics functions; AMD’s ability to effectively control sales of its products on the gray market; impact of climate change on AMD’s business; AMD’s ability to realize its deferred tax assets; potential tax liabilities; current and future claims and litigation; impact of environmental laws, conflict minerals related provisions and other laws or regulations; evolving  expectations from governments, investors, customers and other stakeholders regarding corporate responsibility matters; issues related to the responsible use of AI; restrictions imposed by agreements governing AMD’s notes, the guarantees of Xilinx’s notes and the revolving credit agreement; AMD’s ability to satisfy financial obligations under guarantees and other commercial commitments; impact of acquisitions, joint ventures and/or investments on AMD’s business and AMD’s ability to integrate acquired businesses; impact of any impairment of the combined company’s assets; political, legal and economic risks and natural disasters; future impairments of technology license purchases; AMD’s ability to attract and retain key employees; and AMD’s stock price volatility. Investors are urged to review in detail the risks and uncertainties in AMD’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including but not limited to AMD’s most recent reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q.

With minimalism having defined the visual language of the tech industry for the past two decades, this panel of designers convened by Samsung asked: What comes next? Together, the panelists explored how warmer, more expressive and emotionally resonant technology can shape meaningful experiences in today’s AI era, while also charting a path forward for the industry.

Design as an Act of Love

The session covered a shared view on the purpose of design as fundamentally people-first. “In recent years, design in tech has been somewhat uniform,” said moderator Debbie Millman. “Compared to other industries, the uniformity in the world of tech is an anomaly. So what if we were to extend technology beyond specifications and functionality?”

Samsung is currently addressing this question by introducing meaning beyond products by focusing on how technology fits into people’s lives, experiences and needs. The panelists discussed the growing importance of this mindset in the current landscape in which traditional barriers to entry such as access to tools, scale and technical capability continuing to diminish.

The Human Side of Tech

The discussion highlighted technology’s role in making intention, care and humanity visible in everyday life. Panelists noted that technology should help people recognize the thoughtfulness embedded in the products they invite into their homes and routines.

In this context, Samsung Chief Design Officer Mauro Porcini shared Samsung’s design purpose: to enrich the quality of people’s lives through meaningful technology designed for humanity. He outlined the company’s commitment to help people live longer, live better, live louder and live on through advanced technologies that support wellbeing, creativity and self-expression.

Panelist Karim Rashid added to this sentiment, saying, “When we think about physical things in our world, we think not only about diversity of choice but also the fact that we can develop strong connections to objects,” he said. “Through design, you can end up with a very powerful, emotional connection with inanimate objects, or even products.”

Designing for Human Values

The panel went on to explore how AI can unlock new possibilities for expression when shaped by human values. Panelists discussed a shared view that AI reaches its true potential when guided by Emotional Intelligence and Human Imagination, not as a replacement for human creativity but as a force that expands it.

CDO Porcini articulated this with “AI × (EI + HI),” his approach to balancing Emotional Intelligence and Human Imagination to bring meaning to innovation. While describing this philosophy, CDO Porcini said, “When we design and develop, AI is amplified by Emotional Intelligence and Human Imagination. “Then, when people use products, AI amplifies Emotional Intelligence and Human Imagination.” He added, “Do not fear technology. We are here to humanize it, guide it, and shape it.”

Through these insights, the session reinforced the belief that technology should be humanized, guided and shaped to serve people’s lives in increasingly new and meaningful ways.

Expressive Design Drives More Meaningful Experiences

The discussion reinforced the importance of expressive design in bringing human-centered purpose to life, creating experiences that reflect emotion, support self-expression, invite connection and stimulate imagination.

“Happiness is the aim of design,” said Fabio Novembre. “Our pursuit of happiness is through design, making the impossible possible. I strongly believe in design, and that it must move back to the center of the stage.”

Panelists noted that this reflects a shift from merely designing objects to designing experiences where emotion, meaning and identity are increasingly integral to how people relate to technology. This approach inspires a new kind of expression, resulting in designs that range from subtle and minimal to bold and imaginative — all meant to shape a future that isn’t just worth living, but worth loving.

▲ Visitors from around the world enter the exhibition.

The First Look 2026 by Samsung Electronics unveiled a forward-looking vision for AI under the theme “Your Companion to AI Living.” Held in Samsung’s dedicated space at Wynn Las Vegas, the exhibition guided visitors through how AI can enhance everyday enjoyment and convenience while supporting health and safety.

Samsung Newsroom explored the exhibition, highlighting the company’s evolving AI companion experiences across entertainment, home and care.

AI Gallery Zone: An Artistic Welcome to AI Living

The AI Gallery zone welcomed visitors with iconic works from both Eastern and Western art, seamlessly integrated into the space. Featured pieces included Vincent van Gogh’s “Starry Night Over the Rhône,” along with selections from the Lee Kun-Hee Collection — donated to public institutions by the late Samsung chairman and available through Samsung Art Store — such as Jeong Seon’s “Clearing After Rain on Mount Inwang” and the Joseon Dynasty painting “Sun, Moon, and Five Peaks.”

Entertainment Companion Zone: Every Moment of Sight and Sound

▲ View of the Entertainment Companion zone

▲ Micro RGB 130”

The Entertainment Companion zone stood out as the exhibition’s largest area, featuring a variety of visual display and audio products. Excitement built as Samsung debuted the Micro RGB 130” TV, winner of the CES Innovation Awards 2026 Best of Innovation.

▲ Vision AI demonstration

Centered on the Micro RGB TV, the Vision AI showcase highlighted hands-free interaction. Through voice commands, visitors could look up match predictions, search for recipes or play music — demonstrating how the TV functions as an Entertainment Companion.

▲ Music Studio series

▲ Sound Tower

Beyond innovation, this year’s lineup emphasized a refined design philosophy balancing simplicity and elegance. Highlights included the Music Studio 5 and Music Studio 7, Wi-Fi speakers developed in collaboration with French designer Erwan Bouroullec; the AI Beauty Mirror for personalized beauty care; the Sound Tower with lighting optimized for sports viewing; and the Transparent Micro LED, reimagining the nostalgic charm of vinyl records as a floating visual audio device.

▲ Crowds gather in the gaming area.

▲ Odyssey 3D 32”

▲ Transparent Micro LED

▲ Spatial Signage

The zone concluded with Spatial Signage — an interactive display that animates visitors in real time — combining the clarity of 2D imagery with the depth of 3D expression.

Home Companion Zone: Less Housework, More Everyday Freedom

▲ View of the Home Companion zone

The Home Companion zone presented the evolution of Samsung’s home appliances — moving beyond reducing household chores toward eliminating them and pointing to a future with less housework.

▲ AI home appliance demonstration

At the entrance, three flagship Samsung AI home appliances — the Bespoke AI Refrigerator Family Hub 32”, Bespoke AI Laundry Combo washer-dryer and Bespoke AI Jet Bot Combo robot vacuum — demonstrated how cameras, screens and voice interaction work together to support daily life as an integrated Home Companion.

▲ Bespoke AI Refrigerator Family Hub

The home appliances highlighted smarter food management through AI Vision and hands-free control through voice recognition, offering greater freedom in the kitchen.

▲ North America kitchen package

A North America kitchen package, unveiled publicly for the first time at the exhibition, also drew attention from visitors.

▲ Bespoke AI AirDresser and Bespoke AI Laundry Combo

The exhibition showed that a zero-housework home is within reach, highlighting stronger connectivity among washing machines, dryers and garment care systems, alongside advances in the AI capabilities of robot vacuums.

Care Companion Zone: A Safer, Healthier Everyday Life

▲ View of the Care Companion zone

In the Care Companion zone, visitors saw how the latest Galaxy form factors — including the new Galaxy Z TriFold — connect mobile and wearable devices with home appliances to serve as a central hub for AI-powered living.

▲ Galaxy Z TriFold

The area demonstrated how Samsung Health is continuing to improve sleep environments by controlling air conditioners, air purifiers, lighting and sensors. A brain health training program for users concerned with cognitive health was also showcased. Other features of the health platform include analyzing health metrics through connected devices to help identify potential signs of chronic conditions, as well as exercise and sleep coaching and recipe recommendations based on ingredients in connected refrigerators.

▲ Sleep environment demonstration

Samsung further highlighted its Care Companion approach through a Pet Care system that helps identify potential health issues in companion animals and Home Care services, such as SmartThings Safe, that can request emergency assistance in critical situations.

▲ The Family Care section

▲ (From left) Jonathan Harvey and Maxence Fleury

“What impressed me was how everything is connected,” said Maxence Fleury, a digital content creator from Los Angeles. “The exhibition clearly showed how the ecosystem is expanding and the impact it is having.”

▲ Lucy Hedges

“Once again, Samsung didn’t disappoint,” said Lucy Hedges, host of The Travel Show on the BBC. “What I especially liked was how AI blends naturally into everyday life. These connected products ultimately make users’ lives easier and more comfortable.”

As a standalone exhibition, The First Look 2026 presented a more expansive and advanced range of AI products and experiences than ever before. Samsung’s vision of AI — as a trusted companion in everyday life — offers much to look forward to in the years ahead.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today convened leaders across industries in to discuss the importance of smart home interoperability in the first of its Tech Forum panels at CES 2026 at The Wynn in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the session, titled “When Everything Clicks: How Open Ecosystems Deliver Impactful AI,” experts discussed how cross-industry partnerships are transforming connected homes into intelligent environments that feel seamless, safe and genuinely supportive of people’s lives.

Openness as the Foundation of Home AI

The panelists agreed that the next era of home intelligence must be built on open collaboration, not closed ecosystems. As homes increasingly rely on devices and services from many brands and industries, openness enables AI systems to work together in ways that create real-world impact. Samsung shared its belief that open connectivity allows appliances, energy systems, safety services and partners across industries to deliver experiences that would be impossible in siloed environments.

“Home is the most personal place in our lives, so home AI must earn trust — quietly, respectfully, and with value users can feel,” said Yoonho Choi, President & Chair of the Board of the Home Connectivity Alliance and Head of Strategic Alliances at Samsung Electronics. “That requires interoperability across brands, so the home works as one system instead of disconnected features. Through cooperation with HCA and across industries, we’re turning openness into outcomes: safer homes, simpler routines and measurable savings — built on consent and transparency.”

Powering the World’s Largest Connected Home Ecosystem

Samsung highlighted the scale and depth of its connected ecosystem, noting that more than 500 million users are already part of the SmartThings community. With over a decade of leadership in connected living, Samsung brings deep insight into how AI companionship in the home is evolving, from today’s smart devices to tomorrow’s system-wide intelligence.

This foundation allows Samsung to design AI experiences that coordinate across appliances and services, delivering value that feels natural rather than technical.

“It’s crucial to deliver tangible user benefits that make people’s lives better,” said Michael Wolf, founder and editor-in-chief of The Spoon. “Along these lines, there’s no area that will bring more benefit than a broadly connected kitchen — one that that allows users to understand what’s in their refrigerator while connecting to the water and heating networks, allowing for a more holistic understanding that takes preventative action.”

Turning Collaboration Into Measurable Consumer Benefits

The panel also examined how open ecosystems enable measurable benefits for consumers through cross-industry partnerships. Samsung highlighted its collaboration with Hartford Steam Boiler (HSB) as a first-of-its-kind example of how smart home data — used responsibly and transparently — can deliver meaningful outcomes.

“We’re at a point where the connected home can bring seamless integration into user lifestyles, which begins to develop trust in smart home equipment that results in direct benefits to consumers,” said Jed Usich, Senior Vice President of Strategic Growth Solutions at HSB. “Through our partnership with Samsung, we’ve created a bridge to the insurance industry that takes simple datapoints and turns them into tangible savings for consumers.”

Designing AI That Feels Human, Not Intrusive

Throughout the discussion, the panelists emphasized that for home AI to succeed, it must feel emotionally intelligent and fit naturally into routines including cooking, relaxing, entertaining and caring for families. Design, storytelling and behavioral understanding all play a role in making connected devices feel like calm, reliable companions.

Together, the panelists agreed that the future of home AI depends on interoperability, responsible data use and collaboration across industries, ensuring intelligent homes deliver real value without compromising trust.

As AI becomes more ambient and system-wide, Samsung remains focused on building open ecosystems that make connected living simpler, safer and more meaningful, proving that when everything clicks, home AI can truly improve everyday life.

Making Invisible Intelligence Feel Trustworthy

As AI increasingly anticipates needs, curates routines and operates autonomously across devices, panelists Allie K. Miller, CEO of Open Machine; Amy Webb, CEO of the Future Today Strategy Group; Zack Kass, Global AI Advisor at ZKAI Advisory and former Head of Go-To-Market at Open AI; and Shin Baik, AI Platform Center (APC) Group Head at Samsung Electronics, emphasized that trust must be earned not through promises, but through consistent, understandable behavior.

At the session, Samsung shared its approach to trust-by-design, highlighting the importance of AI systems that are predictable, transparent and easy for users to control. “When it comes to AI, users are looking for transparency and control,” Allie Miller said. “They want to be leaders in their own personalized experiences — to understand whether an AI model is running locally or in the cloud, to know their data is secure and to clearly see what is powered by AI and what is not. That level of visibility builds confidence. On the provider side, there is a responsibility to show up for users by designing personalized experiences around the core components of trust — clarity, security and accountability.”

Samsung also underscored how on-device AI allows personal data to remain local whenever possible, while cloud-based intelligence can be used selectively when greater speed or scale is required, giving users flexibility without compromising privacy.

Security Built for an AI-Driven World

The panel also explored how, as intelligences becomes distributed across phones, TVs and home appliances, security must evolve. In the session, Samsung highlighted its Knox security platform — which now protects billions of devices from the chipset up — as well as Knox Matrix, a cross-device security framework that enables products to authenticate and protect one another.

“Trust in AI starts with security that’s proven, not promised,” Shin Baik said. “For more than a decade, Samsung Knox has provided a deeply embedded security platform designed to protect sensitive data at every layer. But trust goes beyond a single device — it requires an ecosystem that protects itself. With Knox, devices continuously authenticate and monitor one another, so each device acts as a shield for the rest, creating a resilient, secure environment users can rely on.”

A Cross-Industry Conversation on the Future of Trust

Shin Baik emphasized how trust grows when AI behaves predictably and securely across devices, arguing that users need visible signals of control rather than “black box” systems. Samsung pointed to its partnerships with industry leaders such as Google and Microsoft as a way to strengthen shared security research, interoperability and ecosystem-wide protection, while Allie Miller highlighted the importance of transparency for users including clear visibility into where AI models run, how data is used and explicit labels that show what is powered by AI and what is not. Meanwhile, Zack Kass added that while misinformation and misuse present real challenges, “For every risk, there is also a countermeasure and technology itself will play a critical role in mitigating AI’s downsides.”

Amy Webb evaluated the relationship between trust and the purchasing habits of consumers. “I don’t think they’re making decisions based on trust alone,” she said. “People aren’t paying for trust. They don’t buy things because of trust. They buy things because of convenience. So if the AI piece of this hooks people in it makes their lives easier and more convenient.”

As AI becomes increasingly invisible, the panel concluded that the technologies that earn long-term trust will be those that prioritize security, transparency and meaningful user choice from the start.

Under the theme “Your Companion to AI Living,” Samsung outlined its vision for bringing joy, convenience and care to people’s daily lives — unveiling new products and technologies designed to support that goal. The company also emphasized its commitment to democratizing AI by integrating the technology across its product lineup and services.

Watch how Samsung is embedding AI into everyday life.