Samsung Electronics is taking a distinctly different approach to artificial intelligence, focusing on seamless integration rather than flashy features, according to Simon Sung, CEO of Samsung Electronics Europe. In an exclusive interview with Business Insider, Sung emphasized that Samsung’s AI strategy centers on “AI that is genuinely useful and unobtrusive,” prioritizing everyday value over novelty.
Unlike competitors who offer standalone AI products, Samsung has developed its own large language models called Samsung Gauss, but doesn’t market them directly to consumers like OpenAI does with ChatGPT. Instead, the company’s consumer-facing efforts revolve around Galaxy AI, an assistant built into Samsung smartphones that combines proprietary technology with partnerships including Google. Galaxy AI performs practical tasks such as live translation and transcription, similar to Google’s Pixel assistant.
The company’s vision extends beyond smartphones to encompass an entire ecosystem of connected devices. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in early January, Samsung showcased TVs, kitchen appliances, and washing machines equipped with sensors and voice recognition capabilities. “The goal is to make technology feel less like a collection of gadgets, and more like a coherent, responsive environment that adapts to real life,” Sung explained.
Samsung’s AI ambitions are paying dividends financially. The company released earnings guidance earlier this month projecting profits to triple in the final quarter of 2025, driven by surging demand for memory chips that power AI models. Samsung Electronics, the division responsible for consumer technology and memory chip production, is capitalizing on the AI boom from multiple angles.
Internally, Samsung is fostering AI fluency across the organization through cross-functional training and information exchanges between product, design, engineering, and marketing teams. “Because we’re building AI into TVs, appliances, mobile devices, and connected services simultaneously, employees naturally think about intelligence as a shared layer across the entire experience, not as a stand-alone feature,” Sung noted. This holistic approach represents a shift from “AI as a feature you turn on to AI as a companion that works alongside you.”
Key Quotes
The focus is firmly on everyday value rather than novelty
Simon Sung, CEO of Samsung Electronics Europe, articulated this principle as the cornerstone of Samsung’s AI strategy, distinguishing the company from competitors focused on spectacular but less practical AI demonstrations.
The shift is from AI as a feature you turn on to AI as a companion that works alongside you
Sung described Samsung’s philosophical approach to AI integration, emphasizing seamless, continuous assistance rather than discrete tools users must consciously activate.
The goal is to make technology feel less like a collection of gadgets, and more like a coherent, responsive environment that adapts to real life
This quote encapsulates Samsung’s vision for connected AI across its product ecosystem, from smartphones to home appliances, creating an integrated intelligent environment.
Because we’re building AI into TVs, appliances, mobile devices, and connected services simultaneously, employees naturally think about intelligence as a shared layer across the entire experience
Sung explained how Samsung’s organizational structure and product diversity naturally encourages holistic thinking about AI implementation, avoiding the siloed approach common at other companies.
Our Take
Samsung’s strategy reveals an important truth about AI’s future: the most transformative applications may be the least visible. While OpenAI and others compete for attention with increasingly powerful chatbots, Samsung is quietly building AI into the fabric of daily life. This approach could prove more sustainable and profitable long-term.
The company’s dual positioning—as both an AI consumer device maker and a supplier of AI infrastructure through memory chips—provides remarkable strategic flexibility. Samsung can profit whether its own AI products dominate or competitors’ do, since all require the hardware Samsung manufactures.
Most intriguingly, Samsung’s emphasis on organizational AI fluency rather than specialized AI teams suggests a mature understanding of how transformative technologies succeed. AI won’t revolutionize products through isolated innovation labs but through comprehensive integration across design, engineering, and user experience. This organizational insight may prove as valuable as any technical advancement.
Why This Matters
Samsung’s approach represents a critical inflection point in the AI industry’s maturation. While competitors race to launch headline-grabbing AI products, Samsung is betting on invisible, integrated intelligence—a strategy that could define the next phase of AI adoption. This matters because it addresses a key consumer pain point: AI fatigue from overhyped features that don’t deliver practical value.
The financial implications are substantial. Samsung’s projected profit tripling demonstrates that the AI boom extends beyond software companies to hardware manufacturers supplying the infrastructure. As AI models grow more sophisticated and demanding, companies like Samsung that produce memory chips and processors stand to benefit enormously.
For businesses and consumers, Samsung’s vision of a “coherent, responsive environment” signals the evolution from isolated smart devices to truly intelligent ecosystems. This could accelerate AI adoption in homes and workplaces by making the technology less intimidating and more intuitive. The emphasis on cross-functional AI training also provides a blueprint for other organizations seeking to embed AI capabilities throughout their operations rather than siloing them in specialized teams.
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Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-electronics-europe-ceo-ai-strategy-simon-sung-2026-1