"We Go First"... Samsung-SKT Real-Time Interpretation Call Competition Heats Up

'Aidot' to Feature AI-Powered Real-Time Translation Calls Within This Year
Samsung Electronics to Include It in Galaxy S24 Launching Early Next Year
Apple iPhone Expected to Benefit from Aidot Following Call Recording Feature

Real-time translation calls using artificial intelligence (AI) will soon become possible. Following Samsung Electronics' decision to include translation features in its next flagship smartphone, SK Telecom's AI personal assistant service A. (A-dot) has also announced plans to launch real-time translation call functions within this year. The biggest beneficiary of A-dot's translation feature is expected to be Apple's iPhone. After benefiting from call recording, iPhone users will now also gain from A-dot's translation service. It appears that SKT and Apple are forming an alliance to counter Samsung Electronics.

On the 13th, an SKT official stated, "Last month, we added call recording and summarization, AI sleep management, and AI music services to A-dot, and soon we plan to add various AI functions such as 'real-time translation during calls.' The translation service could be launched as early as this year."

Earlier, on the 9th, Samsung Electronics announced that it would equip its next flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S24 series, with the world's first real-time translation call feature. Users of the Galaxy S24 can speak comfortably in their own language as usual, and without installing any separate external application, Galaxy AI will translate and deliver the conversation in real time to the other party's language. The translation function can be used even if the other party's smartphone is not a Galaxy S24.

The Galaxy S24 series unpacking event is scheduled for January next year, suggesting that A-dot's translation feature might be released earlier than Samsung's. However, a Samsung Electronics representative emphasized the difference by saying, "Galaxy's real-time translation call service uses on-device AI technology, ensuring security and privacy protection, and will safely and reliably transform users' daily lives," contrasting it with A-dot's cloud-based service.

Notably, the biggest beneficiary of A-dot's translation feature is expected to be Samsung Electronics' competitor, Apple's iPhone. There have been no reports yet that Apple is developing an AI translation feature. Since the iPhone 15 series was released only a month ago, even if Apple includes its own translation feature in the next model, users would have to wait about a year. Meanwhile, A-dot can fill the gap by providing features like translation that the iPhone lacks.

Previously, the iPhone's lack of call recording?a rare weakness?was largely addressed by A-dot. Due to Apple's privacy policies, iPhone users have not been able to record calls because some U.S. states prohibit call recording. Therefore, iPhone users who needed recordings had to either use speakerphone to record calls or carry dedicated recording hardware, which was inconvenient.

Especially journalists and businesspeople often chose Samsung Galaxy phones because of call recording capabilities. A-dot's call recording and summarization features have effectively compensated for this iPhone weakness. Since users must agree to terms regarding personal data collection and use when first using A-dot calls, the service does not significantly violate Apple's privacy policies.

Kim Yong-hoon, head of SKT's AI Service Division, also said, "We expect to receive a lot of positive responses from iPhone users who had strong needs for call recording and summarization."

While Samsung Electronics had an advantage in service with translation and recording features not available on Apple devices, A-dot has narrowed that gap. Given this situation, some analysts suggest that SKT and Apple might be forming an implicit alliance to check Samsung Electronics.

Regarding this, an SKT official said, "Since telecom carriers and device manufacturers are closely linked in the telecommunications sector, the services they want to create using AI inevitably become similar. We do not develop A-dot's services with any particular manufacturer in mind."