Samsung Electronics Co. said it plans to start the full-fledged service of Bixby, an artificial intelligence program installed in its latest flagship Galaxy S8 smartphones.While Samsung officially released the Galaxy S8 smartphone last month, the Bixby service was still in launch preparations.Through deep-learning technology, Samsung said Bixby will learn users' speaking habits as well as other information to provide them with accurate voice assistance.(Yonhap)Market watchers said Bixby is likel

With the recent advances in artificial intelligence, Google has been working to apply a form of high-level AI computing known as deep learning to the field of medicine and health care.　　Though further developments are underway, Google said Thursday that it has successfully developed new deep learning algorithms that can detect and diagnose diabetic retinopathy, an eye disease which can lead to blindness, as well as locate breast cancer.　Lily Peng, product manager of the medical imaging team at G

South Korea will inject a total of 38.6 billion won ($33.9 million) over the next two years to support local small and mid-size software firms become more globally competitive, the ICT ministry said Sunday.Under the so-called Global Creative Software project spearheaded by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, 16 companies in various software sectors such as security and system software will receive support. (123RF)The government has been making various efforts to assist promising so

Samsung Electronics Co. regained the top status in the global smartphone market in the first quarter of the year, even before the release of its latest Galaxy S8, data showed Saturday.The South Korean tech giant sold about 7.9 million smartphones during the January-March period to account for a market share of 22.8 percent, the data compiled by industry tracker IDC showed. Its US archrival Apple Inc. came in second with a 14.9 percent share. (Yonhap)The latest figure marks a turnaround from the

Health care startup ZOIT announced Friday that it recently signed a business collaboration contract with its Chinese partner company PURE SPORTS, and released its new, independently developed fitness bike in Beijing. The new product is the IMBIKE, a successor to the Z-BIKE released in Korea in 2016. Compared to its predecessor, the IMBIKE is more durable and has a more streamlined design. Visitors try out the IMBIKE at a hands-on demonstration booth at the Beijing National Aquatics Center. (Phot

South Korea’s three mobile carriers posted moderate growth in their earnings in the first quarter of this year, but they seek steeper growth by shifting from their traditional mobile communications business to new content, software and artificial intelligence businesses. According to earnings announcement by KT on Friday, the No. 2 telecom business recorded an 8.3 percent on-year increase in its first-quarter operating profit, reaching 417 billion won ($366.7 million). Revenue stood at 5.6 trill

Fintech startup Fin2B on Thursday announced that it has opened an accounts receivable discount platform, serving as a supply chain finance solution, and is moving beyond the domestic market to enter the Asian market. “Currently, our accounts receivable discount platform is in its pilot phase, working together with affiliates of large conglomerates in Korea,” said Fin2B’s CEO Park Sang-soon. “We are also planning to operate this platform in cooperation with Vietnamese companies in the second half

LG Electronics on Thursday said its operating profit jumped 83 percent in the first quarter of this year from a year earlier, on the back of strong home appliance business. The South Korean electronics manufacturer posted 14.66 trillion won ($12.7 billion) in sales and 921.5 billion won in operating profit for the January to March period. The sales went up 9.7 percent from a year earlier.(Yonhap)LG attributes the surge in operating profit to profits from the company’s home appliance and air solu

Korean internet giant to invest W100b in AI development in 2017

Battery producer LG Chem said Thursday it has been recognized as the most outstanding energy storage system maker in North America. The South Korean company received the Brad Roberts Outstanding Industry Achievement Award at a conference held by the Energy Storage Association in Denver, Colorado, in the US.Executives of LG Chem pose after winning the Brad Roberts Award at the ESA Annual Conference and Expo in Denver on Thursday. (LG Chem)It is the first time for a Korean business to win the awar

Samsung Electronics Co. on Thursday ruled out speculation that Galaxy S8 smartphones have faulty displays, claiming the controversial red tint on some devices can be changed by users.During a conference call held after the company released its first-quarter earnings report, Samsung Electronics claimed that the company has conducted a thorough inspection of the Galaxy S8 to ensure product quality. (Yonhap)"Due to the nature of Super AMOLED displays, there can be natural differences in color," Sam

Samsung Electronics’ board of directors on Thursday approved plans to cancel about 49 trillion won ($43.3 billion) worth of treasury shares as part of efforts to raise value for shareholders, the company announced. The tech titan cited a strong balance sheet and an increase in cash holdings as reasons for reducing the need to hold treasury shares that the company had retained as a financial resource for possible mergers and acquisitions, as well as the hiring of talented professionals.(Yonhap)“M

Sales of air conditioners and electric fans rose sharply this month from a year earlier, industry sources said Thursday, amid above-average temperatures that can be a sign of a hot summer to come.Lotte HiMart, a consumer electronics retailer, witnessed a whopping 180 percent increase in the sales of air conditioners for the first 25 days in April from the same period last year. (Yonhap)Sales of electric fans also jumped 40 percent during the time span.E-Mart, South Korea's largest discount store

Nexon will continue to commit to developing new digital games that push the boundaries of established game genres despite the risks, as the company sees innovation as an underpinning component of its future competitiveness, its chief executive said Tuesday.“We’re doing a lot of experimentation with new games that are pushing current genres or creating entirely new genres outside of Korea,” Nexon CEO and President Owen Mahoney said during an interview with the local press at this year’s Nexon Dev

LG Electronics on Wednesday launched an upgraded version of an artificial intelligence platform, named “Smart ThinQ Hub 2.0,” which will serve as a hub device for connecting and controlling home appliances. The cylinder-shaped speaker-like device can have short, simple conversations with human users as it is equipped with natural language comprehension technology, an enhancement from its previous model.  An employee showcases the Smart ThinQ Hub, Air Station and Solar Cell Sensor that were launc