Samsung Electronics has applied an even more advanced ‘Bixby’ to its AI appliances, enabling customers to use them more intuitively and conveniently. The enhanced Bixby, powered by a large language model, has evolved to respond to user intentions even in everyday conversations. Notably, it now supports a new ‘Open Q&A’ feature by integrating with the generative AI service Perplexity. This AI functionality has been incorporated into various new products, including the 2026 Family Hub.
Enabling Convenient Appliance Use Through Natural Everyday Conversation
Samsung Electronics has advanced Bixby based on a large language model (LLM), allowing it to more precisely understand natural everyday conversations and even infer and judge situations. This enables Bixby to comprehend context through information in user utterances and previous conversations, providing more appropriate responses.
As a result, users can receive responses tailored to their intentions without having to state specific function names or predefined commands. For instance, if a user says, “I put beef and mackerel in the Family Hub, please change the mode,” the refrigerator understands the utterance and automatically sets to ‘Meat/Fish Mode.’ Similarly, if someone says, “I’m going to drink whiskey, make some ice,” the refrigerator’s whiskey ball ice function will be activated.
For air conditioners, saying “Turn on the air conditioner without the wind” will initiate cooling in ‘Wind-Free’ mode. If a robot vacuum is asked to “Clean quietly,” it will begin cleaning in ‘Low Noise Mode.’ Washing machines also support natural conversational control; for example, commanding “I’m washing jeans, set the right course” will configure the appropriate ‘Denim Course’ for jeans. This seamless conversational control is now possible across various home appliances.
These upgraded AI features have been applied to new products, including the 2026 Family Hub, air conditioners, robot vacuums, water purifiers, and washing appliances equipped with 7-inch screens.
Enhanced Appliance Automation and Device Management Features
Bixby also makes ‘automation settings’ for home appliances easy. Automation settings allow devices to be controlled based on various conditions such as specific times, days of the week, or weather. For instance, if a user tells Bixby, “Please clean the floor when the laundry is done,” the robot vacuum will start cleaning after the washing machine finishes its cycle.
Similarly, saying “Dehumidify with the air conditioner if it rains” will set the dehumidification function to automatically activate on rainy days. Samsung Electronics has also further enhanced the ‘Device Q&A’ feature, which provides methods for appliance management and troubleshooting.
When asked about appliance usage, Bixby provides vocal answers, and for appliances with screens, video guides are also offered. For example, questions like “Tell me how to reset the robot vacuum,” “How do I clean the ice water purifier?”, or “How do I clean the washing machine’s heat exchanger?” will trigger voice guidance along with a relevant instructional video displayed on the screen. This allows users to conveniently access product-related information without needing to search the internet or contact customer service.
Furthermore, if a user asks, “My electricity bill is high, is there a way to reduce it?”, Bixby will suggest energy-saving methods such as the SmartThings-based ‘AI Energy Mode.’ Users can then activate this mode across their home devices by simply saying “Turn on AI Energy Mode.”
Integration of Generative AI ‘Perplexity’ to Resolve Everyday Questions
Samsung Electronics has newly integrated the generative AI service Perplexity with Bixby to support an ‘Open Q&A’ feature, which provides answers to everyday questions.
The ‘Open Q&A’ feature allows users to freely ask questions to AI appliances like refrigerators or air conditioners, receiving accurate and useful answers. Users can obtain appropriate responses to various daily queries such as “Tell me good places for a spring outing with family,” “Recommend seasonal spring foods,” or “How can I store onions for a long time?”
Kim Yong-jae, Vice President of Samsung Electronics’ Digital Appliances Business, stated, “Samsung Electronics’ Bixby continues to evolve, allowing users to converse naturally and conveniently utilize each product.” He added, “We will further advance Bixby and its software features so that Samsung’s AI appliances can serve as companions in the home.” Samsung Electronics plans to continuously develop Bixby’s features to provide an even smarter and more convenient customer experience in the future.
