Samsung is considering adding generative AI and large language model (LLM) technology into its existing voice assistant Bixby to improve its overall usability.

Speaking to CNBC, Samsung Mobile’s EVP and head of research and development Won-joon Choi said: “With the emergence of generative AI and LLM technology, I believe that we have to redefine the role of the Bixby.” In other words, there could be features similar to ChatGPT and other popular AI language models.

Bixby launched in 2017 with Samsung’s Galaxy S8 smartphone and since then several features have been added. Yet, voice assistants, in general, have remained less conversational than we would like it to be.

Choi said that Bixby is a “core voice assistant” and wants to ensure that any generative AI additions “enable a more natural conversation” with users and have “an interface that supports the Samsung products in our ecosystem”.

The company has introduced new features with Galaxy AI on its latest S24 series of smartphones. Features include an option that lets users circle something on their screens and search for it on Google, without having to switch apps. So improving Bixby will help with the overall experience. Samsung hasn’t mentioned what Bixby would do when and if it gets the complete generative AI treatment.

The news is coming a few months ahead of Apple’s annual developer conference WWDC 2024 on June 10. This is where Apple is expected to announce iOS 18 and it could be filled with a lot of AI features, including generative AI-powered Siri. Siri has been around since iOS 5 in 2011 and, according to Bloomberg, the voice-activated assistant could get a lot smarter and “field questions and auto-complete sentences”. For example, turning a set of photos into a GIF and then sending them to one of your contacts. There could also be the ability to perform multi-step tasks, which will save the time used to create multi-step tasks in the Shortcuts app.