Samsung and Google Cloud are expanding their partnership on a new home Artificial Intelligence (AI) companion robot called Ballie. The extended collaboration builds on their previous successful project on Samsung’s Galaxy S24 smartphone series.
More specifically, Google Cloud will integrate its generative AI technology, Gemini, into Ballie. Accordingly, it will allow the companies to explore how to bring smart technology to a broader range of devices.
“Through this partnership, Samsung and Google Cloud are redefining the role of AI in the home,” emphasized Samsung Visual Display Business Executive Vice President Yongjae Kim.
According to a press release, the multimodal capabilities of Gemini and proprietary language models of the Korean electronics manufacturer will be utilized by Ballie. Through this, the AI robot can adapt its real-time behaviors and responses by processing a variety of inputs. Mainly, it will be able to understand voice, audio, visual data, and sensor data.
“By pairing Gemini’s powerful multimodal reasoning with Samsung’s AI capabilities in Ballie, we’re leveraging the power of open collaboration to unlock a new era of personalized AI companion,” Kim said in an article.
The executive vice president also mentioned that Gemini will enable Ballie to follow users, anticipate their commands, and provide optimized interaction.
Dynamic and Meaningful Interaction
Generally, the home companion robot can assist users in managing home environments through natural and conversational interactions. It can adjust lighting, greet people at the front door, arrange schedules, and set reminders, among others.
It can also be of great help in making personal decisions, such as choosing what to wear for the day. Consequently, Ballie will give out recommendations like adding accessories or trying different colors.
Moreover, the addition of Gemini will allow the device to respond to health and well-being matters. With Gemini’s grounding in Google Search, the robot can provide specific advice and recommendations from reliable sources.
Ballie will be available this summer in Korea and the United States.
