Samsung could be the next tech giant to launch a generative AI tool like ChatGPT and Google Bard. The Korean conglomerate is reportedly working with domestic tech firm Naver on the project. The duo plan to debut the service as early as October this year. The initial solution may be private to Samsung but Naver may also release a public version of the tool.
According to the Korea Economic Daily, Samsung plans to use the new AI tool to enhance its semiconductor business. It will optimize the service for this purpose from the development stage. The company will supply Naver with the necessary data about its business and semiconductors for training the tool. It may not share confidential data during the development phase but may train the service internally later on with added information. The long-term plan is to use AI to boost its other businesses as well, including smartphones and home appliances.
Samsung is developing an in-house generative AI tool because using third-party services for business purposes has proved to be a risky move. It recently found that employees have inadvertently leaked confidential data through ChatGPT after it granted access to the tool to speed up some internal processes. The company has now banned the use of all such services in company-owned devices as well as internal networks. Employees are also advised to not share company information when using AI tools on their personal devices.
Naver, on the other hand, plans to enter the global enterprise AI market through this project. The idea is to develop a ChatGPT-like service tailored to non-English-speaking people, such as Koreans. It is already gearing up to launch a new hyper-scale AI platform called HyperCLOVA X in a few months. It has reportedly learned “6,500 times more Korean words than ChatGPT”. So it will better understand prompts in Korean and give more accurate responses. Naver is also readying an AI-powered search engine.
Samsung and Naver are also working on new AI chips
The collaboration between Samsung and Naver doesn’t end with the development of a new generative AI tool. The two Korean firms also plan to launch new AI chips later this year. Naver currently uses Nvidia chips in its AI platforms. It wants to take Samsung’s help in replacing those with in-house solutions. Samsung, the world’s largest memory chip maker, may also use the new AI chips in its products. The global AI chip market is forecasted to grow to $70 billion by 2025 from $23 billion in 2020.