Samsung to integrate Baidu's AI model into new Galaxy S24 handsets, as mainland Chinese rivals push new smartphones with similar tech

Samsung Electronics has teamed up with Baidu to integrate the Chinese internet giant's large language model (LLM) - the technology behind chatbots like ChatGPT - into the South Korean company's latest flagship 5G device, marking a renewed push into the world's largest smartphone market where domestic rivals are set to launch handsets with artificial intelligence (AI) features.

Under a strategic partnership between Samsung's China arm and Baidu AI Cloud, the recently unveiled Galaxy S24 series will deploy the Ernie LLM to perform the handset's new "Circle to Search" feature that enables users on the mainland to search texts, images or videos via hand gestures, with results provided by the Chinese online search and AI firm, according to an announcement on Thursday.

Ernie will also help users translate and summarise texts, as well as transcribe speech in multiple languages via the Note Assistant function, according to Baidu.

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Globally, Samsung has tapped Google's Gemini AI technology to power its new AI-enabled 5G smartphones under a multi-year partnership announced last week. In mainland China, however, both Google and OpenAI's models are not available, which prompted the Korean electronics giant to rely on a domestic AI partner to keep its new handsets competitive on the mainland.

People stand in front of electronic boards promoting Samsung Electronics' new flagship Galaxy S24 series smartphones in Seoul, South Korea, on January 18, 2024. Photo: Reuters alt=People stand in front of electronic boards promoting Samsung Electronics' new flagship Galaxy S24 series smartphones in Seoul, South Korea, on January 18, 2024. Photo: Reuters>

The stakes are high for both Samsung and Baidu as global shipments of generative AI-powered smartphones are projected to reach more than 100 million units this year and grow rapidly to 522 million in 2027, according to a recent report by Counterpoint Research.

The race to integrate generative AI features into smartphones has already intensified among the major Chinese handset vendors, who see the innovation as a potential game-changer for the global industry to overcome a lengthy slump.

Earlier this month, Honor launched Magic 6, its first 5G handset integrated with its self-developed MagicLM. That followed last month's release of Oppo's Find X7 series handsets built with the firm's own AndesGPT AI feature.

Other Chinese smartphone makers have also released their own LLMs, including Huawei Technologies' Pangu and Vivo's BlueLM. By contrast, other smartphone vendors built AI capabilities into their operating systems, such as the latest iteration of Xiaomi's HyperOS.

Baidu, which opened its Ernie Bot service to the general public in late August, announced in September that the latest version of its LLM, Ernie 4, can be used to build AI applications for use across a wide range of traditional industries and business scenarios to improve efficiency.

Samsung's latest Chinese collaboration comes as AI service providers face increased regulatory curbs, as mainland authorities issue new guidelines and rules this year to ensure that AI-generated content aligns with what the government permits.

Last August, China imposed detailed regulations governing domestic generative AI services, making it one of the first countries in the world to implement rules covering that emerging technology.

The regulation targets all generative AI content services, including text, pictures, audio and video. It requires that firms offering their products to the general public must promote healthy content and "adhere to core socialist values".

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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