Samsung To Integrate Baidu’s Ernie AI In Latest Galaxy Phones

(Bloomberg) -- Samsung Electronics Co. will feature Baidu Inc.’s Ernie Bot as a key attraction of its new Galaxy S24 smartphone series in China.

The South Korean maker has pitched its latest handset family as the first of a wave of AI smartphones, and Baidu’s artificial intelligence tools will help with text summarization, organization and translation, Baidu said in a statement. It will also provide the backend support for Samsung’s “circle to search” feature, which is handled by Alphabet Inc.’s Google in other markets.

Read More: Samsung Banks on AI to Lift Galaxy Phones to Best Sales in Years

Google’s Android software provides the backbone for the majority of smartphones in China, but the company’s add-on mobile services and app store are not available, leaving it to local companies to fill gaps with alternatives like Tencent Holdings Ltd.’s WeChat. For Baidu, the Samsung deal marks a major adopter of its Ernie AI, one of the earliest and best efforts to create a Chinese challenger to OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Samsung is making a push to expand its small share in China, the world’s largest smartphone market. The company’s foldable devices give it a distinctive position in the premium segment and deeper integration with local services such as Baidu’s may help entice more consumers to switch from Apple Inc.’s iPhone or local brands.

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