Samsung is integrating its two North American AI research centers. On the other hand, it is also hiring a former Apple executive to lead the newly combined team. This step hints that Samsung is strengthening its AI research and development (R&D) efforts in North America.
The reports suggest that the brand has made the announcement internally this week, around the same time Apple kicked off a much-anticipated expansion into AI, as revealed by the people who asked not to be identified since the changes have yet to be announced.
The Korean giant is working on a new operation called the North America AI Center, integrating its teams in Toronto and Mountain View, California. Samsung’s research arm “Ecntralized” the two centers to improve operations and increase efficiency, according to an internal memo viewed by Bloomberg. The brand didn’t disclose the exact reason for what would happen to the two offices.
This step directly suggests that the world’s two largest technology firms are getting more aggressive in AI. Murat Akback, a former Apple executive, will head up the division. According to the memo from the iPhone maker, Akback was “responsible for defining and executing the strategy for Siri, Apple’s digital assistant, focusing on personalization, contextualization, and advancements in conversational and multimodal AI.”
Apple announced a significant AI boost focusing on upgrading Siri and user experience through a system called Apple Intelligence. They hold OpenAI technology for some features but rely heavily on in-house development. On the other hand, the Korean giant integrated its North American AI research centers. He hired an ex-Apple AI expert, potentially to power up its AI development (R&D) in North America. They dedicatedly use Google Gemini technology for their AI mechanism.
