Samsung Electronics Co. is developing a voice-activated speaker powered by its digital assistant Bixby, according to people familiar with the matter, joining a proliferating arms race in tabletop devices.
The timing is far from determined, the people said. The English-language version of Bixby has been delayed and they said many of the speaker’s features and other specifications are yet to be decided. But the project—internally code-named “Vega”—has been going on for more than a year, several of the people said.
To Silicon Valley, voice-activated speakers are more about big data than big bucks. The ultimate payoff is advancing voice-activated artificial-intelligence technology. The virtual assistants, like Amazon’s Alexa, Apple Inc.’s Siri and Bixby, improve with use—the software learning from mistakes—industry executives say.
Amazon’s Echo has captured more than 70% of the U.S. market for voice-activated speakers, with Alphabet’s Google Home next at around 24%, according to eMarketer, a market-research firm. The number of Americans using such speakers at least once a month will reach about 36 million this year, eMarketer said, double last year’s figure.
