After a long partnership, Google and Samsung could divorce, in favor of Microsoft. The objective of this change would be to introduce AI into the devices of the Korean brand.
Since its first Galaxy smartphone, Samsung has worked hand in hand with Google. It is even on the devices of the Korean brand that the Android operating system is best exploited, as proven by the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. This user experience is particularly felt in the use of the Google search engine, which is the one used by default on all Galaxy smartphones.
But that could soon change. According to information revealed on April 16 by the New York Times, Samsung is in full discussion with Microsoft to make Bing the default search engine for its next devices. The Korean tech giant’s idea would be to use Bing to incorporate ChatGPT’s AI into its smartphones, since the search engine relies heavily on it in its latest version.
What use for Samsung users?
The arrival of Bing as the default search engine at Samsung would be a huge change for users, who have only known Google. Although it is possible to switch to another search engine, users very rarely do so. And unless you are really attached to the Californian company, those who will face Bing on their Samsung will surely not bother to change the settings to find the Google search engine.
In addition, the features offered by this new generation Bing could quickly convince users. Since its incorporation of ChatGPT and Dall-E, Bing has become a new kind of search engine, which puts AI at the heart of its operation. For example, Samsung users could use the “chat” feature to ask questions and receive answers from Bing, which would respond to them in natural language. On a Galaxy smartphone, Bing would therefore become a kind of virtual assistant, which would go even further than Samsung’s Bixby or Apple’s Siri.
In addition to ChatGPT, Bing has also incorporated Dall-E. This makes it possible to generate images directly on the search engine, unlike a Midjourney, which requires going through Discord, a third-party application. But beyond this better accessibility, Dall-E would especially offer new possibilities to users if Bing took place on Samsung devices. For example, it would be easy to generate an image in a few seconds to share it with loved ones or on social networks.
At Google, it’s shaking
This is precisely what could interest Samsung, which would offer its customers a new way of doing research on the Internet. For more than 20 years, Google has been the undisputed number 1 in the field. The alternatives that exist are very little used. A monopoly situation that has led Google to rest on its laurels and innovate little in web search. An increasingly obvious lack of progress, which led Samsung to see what competitors had to offer.
This could cost Google dearly. If the company were to lose priority over Samsung’s smartphones, which have been the best-selling smartphones in the world for several years, it would lose a huge consumer base, which numbers in the hundreds of millions. A huge market, which Google cannot afford to lose, given the advertising and economic stakes. The Californian firm also pays more than 3 billion dollars to Samsung to be the default browser for its devices, which testifies to the importance of this partnership.
The risk is therefore far too great for Google, which is now seeking to catch up in the race for AI. Thus, the company even wants to create, like Bing, a new Google powered by AI.
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