Baidu's AI program set to widen gap with Samsung through 2022

Published : Nov 3, 2017 - 09:39 Updated : Nov 3, 2017 - 09:39

Chinese tech giant Baidu Inc., is expected to emerge as a major player in the field of voice-recognizing artificial intelligence programs through 2022, an industry tracker said Friday, widening the gap with Samsung Electronics Co.'s Bixby.

The penetration rate of Samsung Electronics' Bixby in the field is expected to reach 5.4 percent in 2022, falling sharply from 12.7 percent posted in 2017, Strategy Analytics said. Baidu, which took up 13 percent of the market this year, is expected to become the No. 2 player in 2022 at 22.7 percent.

Apple's Siri is anticipated to see its share halve to 17 percent in 2022, down from 41.1 percent posted this year, apparently due to the rise of Baidu.

A demonstration of Samsung Electronics Co.`s voice-recognition service, Bixby. (Yonhap)

Global tech giants have been competing to take the lead in the segment as such programs became a key specification for flagship smartphones. Strategy Analytics said 93 percent of smartphones priced US$300 and higher were equipped with an AI assistant program this year.

"In 2020 we estimate that over 80 percent of smartphones sold with a wholesale price of over $100 will have a virtual assistant integrated natively," the industry tracker said.

Google Assistant, which took up 45.9 percent of the market this year, is expected to continue to maintain its No. 1 status to account for 60.3 percent of the market in 2022 on the back of budget smartphones. The market's combined penetration rate exceeds

100 percent as some devices are equipped with more than one program.

Industry watchers said the rise of latecomer Baidu is anticipated to become a major threat for traditional players. The Chinese program is especially competitive as it can be applied to a wider scope of devices, while those of Samsung and Apple are provided only to homegrown smartphones.

Accordingly, it is crucial for Bixby and Siri to improve accuracy and quality of services, while reaching out to a wider scope of users. Samsung's Bixby, which eventually will be available in eight languages, currently only supports Korean and English. (Yonhap)