[Asia Economy Reporter Seol Gina Jo] Samsung Electronics is reported by foreign media to be unveiling a new virtual assistant called 'Sam.' While there is speculation that it might replace the existing AI voice assistant 'Bixby,' Samsung Electronics has clarified that it is a 'virtual trainer character' for overseas corporate sales staff.
IT tipster TechAgent posted on Twitter on the 1st (local time), "Samsung will unveil a new virtual assistant named Sam. It looks beautiful," sharing several images.
The images show a 3D woman with short hair wearing a black top with "Samsung Galaxy" written in English and jeans. This woman, presumed to be Sam, is seen proudly displaying a Galaxy smartphone or holding a Samsung Electronics laptop with a smile.
IT media PhoneArena reported, "It is unclear whether Samsung Electronics has officially requested to replace Bixby," but added, "There are rumors that Samsung will replace Bixby with a 3D assistant named Sam." Samsung first launched its personal voice assistant S Voice on May 30, 2012. The first smartphone equipped with S Voice was the Galaxy S3. The last version of S Voice was in July 2017. Earlier that year, on April 21, Bixby was launched.
However, Samsung drew a clear line. It explained that Sam was introduced as a virtual trainer character for training at sales sites in its Brazil subsidiary. The 3D virtual trainer Sam has been operating since last year. Samsung Electronics stated, "It is not a voice assistant that replaces Bixby, as some foreign media have suggested."
Sam was produced by the visual production company Lightfarm. Lightfarm participated in this process through a partnership with Cheil Worldwide, a Samsung affiliate. The company confirmed, "We focused on developing realistic materials for the character's hair and clothes, and we were able to achieve an aesthetically satisfying result."
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