German Chancellor Visits Samsung Electronics Booth as First Stop at IFA

'Smile' on AI Robot at LG Electronics Booth

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics exhibition halls one after another at 'IFA 2024,' Europe's largest home appliance exhibition held in Berlin, Germany, on the 6th (local time). It is the first time in 18 years since 2006 that a sitting German chancellor has visited the IFA exhibition.

On this day, Chancellor Scholz's first stop during his visit to the IFA venue was the Samsung Electronics exhibition hall, which is not a German company. After greeting Han Jong-hee, Vice Chairman and Head of Samsung Electronics' DX Division, Scholz received an explanation about Samsung's exhibition theme, "Artificial Intelligence (AI) for All." He also lifted Samsung's AI companion robot "Ballie" with both hands. The day before, Scholz had emphasized the importance of advanced technologies, including AI, at the IFA opening eve event.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is holding the AI robot 'Bolly' with both hands at the Samsung Electronics booth at 'IFA 2024' held in Berlin, Germany, on the 6th (local time).
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Scholz then visited the exhibition halls of German companies such as Bosch, Siemens, Miele, Jura, and Riefer, where he received explanations about their key products. Miele, celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, demonstrated side by side its first washing machine released in 1901 and the Nova Edition washing machine, which was unveiled for the first time at IFA.

Near the end of his visit to the IFA venue, Scholz also visited the LG Electronics booth. He observed LG Electronics' AI robot, the "Mobile AI Home Hub" (code-named Q9), demonstrating features such as reading the storyline by looking at book covers. When the demonstrator patted its head, the AI robot smiled with its eyes, which brought a smile to Scholz's face. LG Electronics President Cho Joo-wan was also present at this event.

Chancellor Scholz did not visit the Chinese companies, which had the largest number of participants at this IFA.

IFA is considered one of the world's top three home appliance and IT exhibitions, along with CES in Las Vegas, USA, and the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain. The theme of this year's IFA is "Innovation for All."