In case you hadn’t noticed, AI is having a bit of a backlash moment. More and more people are opposed to data center construction where they live, for example, and a lot of consumers (especially Gen Z) are questioning the need for generative AI overall.
Samsung seems to be tuned in to this sentiment with the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. Instead of hitting people over the head with ‘Galaxy AI,’ the company is focusing on a handful of features that it believes have real-world benefits.
“We don’t want to overwhelm the consumer with AI,” Samsung EVP Jay Kim told me. “A lot of industry focus on AI is sort of as itself as a technology, but I think it’s shifting from technology to benefits. We’re looking at how you make this meaningful, how do you make this more easy to access?”
Subtler AI
One example is Now Nudge. Say you get an incoming text that references an upcoming appointment with the date. The Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra are smart enough to present a little Calendar button. When you tap that, the Calendar app will automatically open in Split View on the right side of the display.
“You're looking at the screen, and then it understands where you're looking at, and then it actually provides the next action, it suggests your action,” Kim said. “Before you have to go through extra steps to make that work, but now it's instant. We’re just trying to help consumers get things done in a more easy way.”
Another example of AI that’s less in your face is My FanCam. When editing a video on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra, you can select a subject and the phone will recut the video so that it “follows” only that person. You can even choose your preferred aspect ratio. And it works seamlessly based on my testing.
To access this feature you have to select the AI icon first. One might argue it’s too subtle and not easily discoverable enough.
“We’re looking at consumers and we're looking at how they behave and how they use a device,” said Kim. “We just want to make sure that they get what they need at the right time, without sort of thinking too much about whether it's coming from AI.”
Automating the everyday
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 series is even letting AI do stuff for you in the background with Gemini Intelligence task automation, which now supports 40 apps. This includes shopping, restaurant reservations, travel booking and event tickets.
For example, you can tell your Fold 8 to help book you a vacation and give it some parameters, and it will start working with Expedia to make it happen. You can jump in at any time, and Gemini Intelligence won’t make any purchases without your approval.
“When we put automation in place it has to work right,” Kim said. “The consumer needs to understand how it works. So we’re taking it one step at a time and we’re not rushing, because the experience is more important.”
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