It's CES and that means the introduction of Samsung's newest electronics. Think: lots of TVs, home appliances and even some cute robots. And underlying all of that is a smarter Bixby digital assistant.
Samsung may be best known for its Galaxy smartphones, but TVs, laptops and appliances like refrigerators and washing machines are a big part of its product lineup. CES is where we hear about its latest and greatest electronics, and this year was no exception. Samsung even saved a surprise announcement for the end of its Monday press conference: four robots that do things like monitor health and help people walk.
At the heart of its announcements was Bixby, the digital voice assistant that rivals Apple's Siri, Google's Assistant and Amazon's Alexa. Executive after executive touted what you'll be able to do with Bixby in your various devices, from searching your iTunes library to getting recommendations for the best wash cycle in your Samsung washing machine.
All of those smarts will boost the 500 million devices Samsung sells each year. Over 70 percent of Americans have at least one Samsung device and more than 25 percent have at least three, Yoon Lee, a Samsung senior vice president, said during Monday's press conference. That gives Samsung a huge potential market for Bixby.
"With AI and other emerging technologies, we are hard at work improving those devices, helping them to better meet consumer needs and improve their daily lives," Lee said.
