Samsung Galaxy S8 to Debut 'Viv', the AI Assistant From the Creators of Siri

Samsung said on Sunday it will launch its first AI virtual assistant in next year's Galaxy S8 smartphone, based on technology gained through its acquisition of Viv.

Viv is the AI firm run by Dag Kittlaus, co-creator of Apple's Siri. Last month, Samsung bought Viv with the intention of allowing it to operate as an independent company, while providing Samsung with a readymade AI solution that will enable it to go toe-to-toe with Siri, Google Assistant, and Amazon's Alexa.

viv

Siri co-creator Dag Kittlaus' Viv AI will appear in Samsung devices

According to a Reuters report, Samsung now plans to integrate the AI platform into its Galaxy smartphones and expand voice-assistant services to home appliances and wearable devices.

Samsung hopes the AI technology will help revive its momentum in the smartphone industry following the recall and discontinuation of this year's flagship Galaxy Note 7, which will cost the company $5.4 billion in profit through the first quarter of 2017.

Samsung didn't mention what types of services the AI would offer in its Galaxy S8, which is due to go on sale next year, but Viv features enhanced contextual understanding which allows it to understand the intent of a user's queries and create its own programs on the fly.

"Developers can attach and upload services to our agent," said Samsung Executive Vice President Rhee Injong during a briefing, referring to its AI assistant. "Even if Samsung doesn't do anything on its own, the more services that get attached the smarter this agent will get, learn more new services and provide them to end-users with ease."

With the preponderance of AI assistants in consumer devices – most recently in Google's Pixel smartphones – Viv is a technology that Samsung is eager to exploit, and is likely to make its way into the company's non-mobile devices, like washing machines, refrigerators and TVs.


In May, it was reported that Apple was planning on introducing a next-gen natural language API in its rumored Amazon Echo competitor. The technology behind the API is the work of VocalIQ, a natural language outfit purchased by Apple in October 2015. The API has the ability to do "session-based" contextual responses similar to Viv.

Popular Stories

Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's 'CarPlay Ultra' Experience Now Available

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:07 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its next-generation CarPlay experience, now dubbed "CarPlay Ultra" begins rolling out today, starting with Aston Martin vehicles. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. CarPlay Ultra is now available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be available for existing models that feature the brand's next-generation ...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
CarPlay Ultra Climate Controls

Apple Says These Vehicle Brands Plan to Offer All-New CarPlay Ultra

Thursday May 15, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced the launch of CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. CarPlay Ultra features deep integration with a vehicle's instrument cluster and systems, built-in Radio and Climate apps, customizable widgets, and more. The interface is tailored to each vehicle model and automaker's identity, and drivers can also adjust...
iPhone 12 Made in India

Trump Tells Tim Cook to Stop Building iPhones in India

Thursday May 15, 2025 2:21 am PDT by
President Donald Trump has asked Apple CEO Tim Cook to halt the company's manufacturing expansion in India, in a potential disruption of Apple's plan to shift iPhone production away from China. "I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday," Trump said during his state visit to Qatar, according to Bloomberg. "He is building all over India." "They [India] have offered us a deal where...
apple music

Apple Music Gets New Transfer Tool to Make Switching From Spotify Easier

Wednesday May 14, 2025 5:17 pm PDT by
Apple this week introduced a new feature designed to allow prospective Apple Music users to import their saved music and playlists from third-party music services to Apple Music. The feature is either in an expanded testing phase or it has started rolling out, and it is available in Australia and New Zealand according to an Apple Support document. Signs of the transfer option first surfaced...
maxresdefault

Here's the First Real-World Look at Apple's CarPlay Ultra

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:52 am PDT by
The first videos of Apple's CarPlay Ultra experience are now available, providing a never-before-seen look at the long-anticipated iPhone-linked infotainment software. British automaker Aston Martin today shared the first video of Apple's CarPlay Ultra experience in-action, followed by a detailed walk-through of the CarPlay Ultra system on Top Gear's YouTube channel, which provides the...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.5 With New Wallpaper, Screen Time Changes, Carrier Satellite Support for iPhone 13 and More

Monday May 12, 2025 10:06 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5, the fifth updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5 come a little over a month after Apple released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. The iOS 18.5 update has a...
fortnite apple logo 2

Epic Resubmits Fortnite to U.S. App Store After Not Hearing From Apple for 120+ Hours

Wednesday May 14, 2025 1:01 pm PDT by
On Friday, Epic Games submitted Fortnite to the U.S. App Store, and since then, we've been waiting to see if Apple would approve the game and allow it back on the iPhone and the iPad. There's been no word from Apple so far, but Epic Games opted to pull its first App Store review request, and has now resubmitted Fortnite. Fortnite leaker Shiina shared the news, with the information reposted by...

Top Rated Comments

Xgm541 Avatar
111 months ago
5/8 posts are lame comments about exploding so far.

It's like everyone is rushing to make a funny joke but then they all end up not funny.
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hagar Avatar
111 months ago
If Apple doesn't realise what a huge opportunity it missed by refusing to include Viv as an enhanced version of Siri in their products, there's not much hope left.

It's nearly 2017 and Siri is still not able to send a message or give driving directions without messing things up.
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
needfx Avatar
111 months ago
so the S8 will be a smart bomb?
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Red Oak Avatar
111 months ago
If Apple doesn't realise what a huge opportunity it missed by refusing to include Viv as an enhanced version of Siri in their products, there's not much hope left.

It's nearly 2017 and Siri is still not able to send a message or give driving directions without messing things up.
You must be using a different version of Siri than me
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
trifid Avatar
111 months ago
In the meantime Apple has been in sleep mode with Siri for years.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Trusteft Avatar
111 months ago
I wonder if it is going to be so good that it will blow up all competition.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)