Samsung seeks redemption with artificial intelligence-infused Galaxy S8 phone

Seoul: Samsung Electronics Co. plans to equip its next Galaxy S smartphones with a Siri-like digital assistant, seeking to make a comeback after the global debacle that precipitated the death of its flawed Note 7 lineup. Samsung, which last month acquired US-based artificial intelligence software company Viv Labs Inc., said the Galaxy S8 slated for next year will come with AI-enabled features "significantly differentiated" from those of Apple Inc.'s Siri or Google, executive vice president Rhee In-jong told reporters. Those services now offer up potentially useful information from the weather to flight times based on user activity. The flagship Galaxy S line will prove crucial to salvaging Samsung's reputation in the wake of the fiasco surrounding a Note 7 device prone to bursting into flame. The recall and eventual cessation of the line is estimated to cost upwards of $6 billion and pushed profits at its mobile division to a record low in the September quarter.