The Korea Herald

지나쌤

Call me Sammy: Samsung adds new wake-up word to AI speaker

By Song Su-hyun

Published : Nov. 5, 2020 - 15:24

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Samsung Bixby (Samsung Electronics) Samsung Bixby (Samsung Electronics)
“Sammy” is a new wake-up word for Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Home Mini speaker, according to the tech giant on Thursday.

Samsung has recently added the new word to wake up its voice-activated artificial intelligence speaker, the Galaxy Home Mini, through a software update.

Users can both use “Hi, Bixby” and “Sammy-ya” to activate the speaker.

There have been some complaints on inaccuracy and inconvenience from calling the AI assistant Bixby, due to the difficulty of pronouncing X and B accurately in some regions.

“Sammy has been a nickname for Samsung in the Western region, which also sounds friendly,” said a Samsung official. “The company is currently reviewing various plans to expand the use of the new wake-up word, including smartphones, but it is not confirmed yet.”

Samsung has been seen moving to revamp its AI Bixby strategy, since Adam Cheyer, the former head of Bixby development at Samsung, has left the company. Regarding the chief developer’s leave, there were rumors that Samsung could shut down the Bixby platform.

By Song Su-hyun (song@heraldcorp.com)