Samsung Buys Viv AI Assistant

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In a clear effort to not remain behind Apple and Google in voice-controlled assistant race Samsung buys Viv, the next AI project from the creators of Siri, for an unspecified sum.

VivViv was co-founded by Dag Kittlaus, Adam Cheyer and Chris Brigham, who left Siri after it was acquired by Apple in order to start Viv in 2012. Post-acquisition Viv will continue running as an independent company, if one providing services to Samsung and related platform.

“Unlike other existing AI-based services, Viv has a sophisticated natural language understanding, machine learning capabilities and strategic partnerships that will enrich a broader service ecosystem,” Samsung says. “Viv was built with both consumers and developers in mind. This dual focus is also what attracted us to Viv as an ideal candidate to integrate with Samsung home appliances, wearables and more, as the paradigm of how we interact with technology shifts to intelligent interfaces and voice control.”

According to the two companies Viv is the more powerful AI assistant through its interconnected nature-- meaning it allows apps and services to share data, something the likes of Siri are only starting to do-- and a backend featuring "dynamic program generation" allowing developers to create programs able to spontaneously handle tasks.

Will Viv prove to be the secret sauce to make Samsung devices better than the competition? We will know once the company starts integrating the platform in its products in the coming years.

Go Samsung to Acquire Viv