Samsung buys Viv, the creators of Siri

Against the background of numerous problems associated with the latest product of the company - Galaxy Note 7, as well as with the spontaneously launched anti-advertising campaign in the media, the Korean manufacturer Samsung does not intend to abandon plans for the development of its products.

So, today it was announced a new acquisition of Samsung. This time, the Korean giant acquired Viv Labs, the company that created Siri interactive assistant, which was later sold to Apple in 2010.
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Doug Kitlaus, co-founder of Siri and Viv Labs, reported on joining Viv Labs on Medium. On joining Viv Labs with Samsung, he responds with great pride:

We share a common vision that the current AI is ready to enter a new era.

According to the co-founder of Viv, the transition of the company under the wing of Samsung is not only ideological reasons (Samsung is trying to keep up with the times and is open to innovation), but also purely pragmatic.

So, according to Kitlaus, now the Korean company is one of the largest manufacturers and sellers of wearable devices (smartphones, tablets) - Samsung sells about 500 million devices annually. In addition, Koreans are leaders in the market of home appliances and TV production, for which voice control is even more logical than for smartphones or PCs. “Their product range fits naturally into the Viv concept of“ simplifying interaction through voice control, ”says Kitlaus.

In turn, Samsung’s Technical Director declares that “Viv technology is an ideal candidate for integration with the company's products.” According to representatives of the Korean giant, the laboratory has a "deep understanding of natural language, machine learning opportunities and strategic partnerships, which together will provide a wider ecosystem of services."


Interview with Samsung top manager about buying Viv

The laboratory, which for quite a long time after the sale of Apple's Siri voice assistant, was engaged in self-development, will now have the opportunity to try out the fruits of their labor on Samsung products.

The idea of ​​mass introduction of voice assistants to various devices has been around for a long time. For the past five years, the Internet of Things and a talking teapot or a washing machine connected via Wi-Fi to the smart home system have been actively developing, not geeks' dreams anymore, but a completely realizable and accessible to the first world countries.

In light of this, the choice of "marriage" with Samsung from the side of the Viv is quite logical and useful for both parties. Koreans are able to provide the possibility of implementing voice control in almost any existing electronic device, because the field of the company, unlike Apple - the previous client Viv, is huge. In addition, the laboratory will gain access to the finance of the giant, which can significantly speed up development.

Samsung, in turn, will get unique devices with the functionality of the new generation.

Previously, this union can surely be called a “marriage for love”, and not “a purchase for patents,” as is usually done by technology giants.