[CES 2024] Samsung Truly Committed to AI… Han Jong-hee "Will Implement in All Products Going Forward"

Han Jong-hee, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics, stated that AI technology will be included not only in smartphones, laptops, and home appliances but also in all future products introduced by Samsung Electronics, including robots. As this year is expected to be the inaugural year for the full-scale spread of artificial intelligence (AI), Samsung Electronics has announced its plans for boundaryless business expansion.

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Han Jong-hee is speaking at a press conference held on the 9th (local time) at Caesars Palace Hotel in Las Vegas, USA. / Photo by Samsung Electronics

원본보기 아이콘

On the opening day of the world's largest electronics and IT exhibition, CES 2024, on the 9th (local time), Han attended a press briefing held at Caesars Palace Hotel in Las Vegas, USA, and made these remarks. He said, "Generative AI becomes smarter the more it is used, so it holds great value," adding, "I believe AI expansion is essential, and by the second half of this year, even this statement might become clich?."

Samsung Electronics is actively working to integrate AI, which has become the core theme of this year's CES and a hot topic across all industries, into various parts of its business. The theme of this year's CES exhibition was also presented as "AI for Everyone: Smart Hyperconnected Experiences in Daily Life," and the company announced that it is accelerating the adoption of AI in various products and services.

The company's determination was clearly reflected in the press release covering Han's briefing. The 16-page document mentioned the word "AI" 16 times. Although the material contained business visions in various fields such as home appliances, TVs, and smartphones, it ultimately started and ended with AI.

The appearance of 'Bolly' unexpectedly revealed by Samsung Electronics at CES 2024 /
[Photo by Samsung Electronics]

원본보기 아이콘

When asked by reporters about how he envisions changes in home appliance life in the future, Han said, "If it were last year, I would have made predictions, but since generative AI has emerged, changes are happening faster than we imagined," explaining that due to the rapid evolution of AI, it is not easy to forecast how much and in what ways home appliance life will change five years from now.

Regarding a question about how far Samsung's AI could expand in the future, he said, "It would be the same for any company," adding, "It will be expanded to all products that will be released going forward." He also expressed that the ultimate goal is to provide users with a hyper-personalized experience.

At this year's CES, Samsung Electronics surprised the industry by unveiling 'Ballie,' an AI companion robot concept. This robot was first introduced by Samsung Electronics at CES in 2020, and through the adoption of AI, its technological level was upgraded, allowing it to meet visitors again after four years. This is Samsung Electronics' first case of introducing generative AI into a robot.

The transparent Micro LED first unveiled by Samsung Electronics at CES 2024 /
[Photo by Samsung Electronics]

원본보기 아이콘

The company believes that as AI technology continues to advance rapidly, the robot industry can also grow faster than previously expected. Han predicted, "Our ultimate goal is to create intelligent robots that coexist with humans," adding, "Ballie is currently at the initial stage, but it will become considerably smarter and develop rapidly in the future."

Regarding the 'Transparent Micro LED,' which attracted visitors' attention when first introduced at CES, he stated the goal of lowering product prices and increasing market demand by continuing technological development and efforts to reduce raw material costs. He also explained that having various product lines such as OLED and Neo QLED is a significant advantage in expanding the TV business.

Meanwhile, concerning concerns about operating factories in Russia due to the Russia-Ukraine war, Han said, "At this stage, there is no intention to sell the factories," adding, "We plan to extend operations by leasing them out." Regarding the large-scale mergers and acquisitions (M&A) that have attracted attention inside and outside the industry, he said, "I think plans will be announced this year."

This year, there is also the challenge of improving performance, which had been on a downward trend due to the semiconductor market downturn last year. Han said, "There is no guarantee that the economy will improve or the market will recover this year," but added, "We will steadily work hard to achieve better growth than last year."

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.