Executive Summary

• Samsung Electronics has acquired Viv Labs, a US-based startup that has developed an open artificial intelligence (AI) assistant platform. The startup was co-founded by the creators of Siri.
• The acquisition will help Samsung fill a major gap in its smartphone product portfolio, allowing it to compete with other tech giants such as Apple and Google.
• The AI assistant platform could penetrate into other platforms more quickly, as Samsung is one of the largest manufacturers of home appliances and wearables. Samsung can eventually build a seamless AI assistant platform across all of its devices, and this might disrupt how companies interact with their customers.