At Samsung Galaxy Unpacked this year, company president TM Roh took the stage in Brooklyn, NY, to tout the transformative nature Galaxy AI. The presentation talked about how Samsung's AI tech customizes information and systems to become your personal companion. It gives you morning briefs, synthesizes your health information and can integrate across different form factors, like foldables, VR and wearables.
I am an active user of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 phone, but I've never once seen any of Samsung's Galaxy AI features surface in my daily use. And it's not like I'm not looking out for this stuff, I'm literally an AI reporter at CNET. So what am I missing?
Part of the reason I never notice Galaxy AI is that it's hampered by the defaults of Google's open source Android operating system. Unlike Apple, Samsung doesn't control the software running on its devices. Instead, it uses Android.
I've used a Galaxy Z Fold 6 for the last year or so. Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
Samsung and other smartphone makers can add their own software features on top of Android. Google, however, doesn't allow Android partners to completely delete Google's included apps. So, if partners want their own interpretations of a calling app or text messaging app, it has to live alongside Google's versions.
Years ago Samsung did attempt to launch its own mobile operating system called Tizen, but, like with Windows Phone and other mobile operating systems, getting app developers on board proved challenging.
Where's my AI, Samsung?
I have yet to see any of the AI features Samsung touts. Apart from Samsung's daily brief there's a host of editing features, including audio eraser for clearer audio, auto trim for video editing and generative edit, which lets you use AI to retouch images. On Samsung's Galaxy AI website, the company says there's call transcript, writing assist and interpreter features.
I'm personally not a big photo bug, so I don't spend too much time snapping pics and setting aside time to edit photos for Instagram. So, being blind to these features is on me.
But I am reporter, so the transcript and interpreter features are particularly handy. Well, they should be if I'd ever seen them. I jumped on an impromptu call with my co-worker Corin Cesaric to test if these transcript features would activate. They didn't.
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