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Samsung acquires Viv, a next-gen AI assistant built by creators of Apple’s Siri

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Re: Samsung acquires Viv, a next-gen AI assistant built by creators of Apple’s Siri

#51

Post by pesenti »

cstejerean wrote: post #18
jjcm wrote: post #9

I'm amazed that the founders didn't have some sort of non-compete agreement here. Excited that it's a more extensible digital assistant though. I think the reason why I like Alexa the most out of the services right now is that it feels like the easiest to add new functionality too. Hopefully this will pave the way for more open ai assistants.

California doesn't believe in non-competes. The state believes that competition is in the public interest and enforcing non-competes would be counter to that.

That's not true. California enforces non-compete related to the sale of a company (section 16601 - http://law.onecle.com/california/business/16601.html).

Re: Samsung acquires Viv, a next-gen AI assistant built by creators of Apple’s Siri

#53

Post by millstone »

cocktailpeanuts wrote: post #29
Steko wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Just look at Google maps. Thousand times better than the default Apple maps No it isn't, they are basically the same for 90% of users.

I'm not talking about the content. Talking about the user experience. It does suck, and I'm not even an Apple hater. I have given up on using the default map for searching anything. Of course the map content itself is the same, but what good is a mobile map if you search for a coffee shop around you in New York and it gives you some grocery store in Scandinavia? I would be forgiving if this happened rarely, but to me…

And I ask Google Maps to direct me home and it points me at Home Depot.

Frankly both Apple Maps and Google Maps could stand some UI improvements. Google Maps won't shut up, throws up some bizarre progress bar even on mute, has mystery meat navigation, and replaces the map with some giant material design-style empty space when it decides I've "arrived" (even if I haven't).

Apple Maps used to make it hard to pan around, but that's been fixed in iOS 10. Instead now it has terrible bugs in landscape mode, and has adopted the "you've arrived, now you don't need the map any more!" behavior.

If they just let the map be a map...But anyways I'm old enough to remember pulling over to pull out the giant paper map in San Francisco, so I can't get too upset. Either one has made my life so much better.

Re: Samsung acquires Viv, a next-gen AI assistant built by creators of Apple’s Siri

#54

Post by xenobioticants »

chipotle_coyote wrote: post #32
cocktailpeanuts wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not talking about the content. Talking about the user experience. It does suck, and I'm not even an Apple hater. I have given up on using the default map for searching anything. Of course the map content itself is the same, but what good is a mobile map if you search for a coffee shop around you in New York and it gives you some grocery store in Scandinavia? I would be forgiving if this happened rarely, but to me…

While this is a war of anecdotes, I can safely say this has never happened to me. If I search for coffee shops around me, I see...coffee shops around me. The new redesign of maps for iOS 10 has -- at least to me -- a much better UX than the current Google Maps app does, also.

To pile on: all of you guys reside in the US. Google Maps its data is much more up to date compared to Apple Maps in most of the world. Navigating in SE-Asia with Gmaps is a breeze. Apple Maps constantly sent me to places, only to have the current address owner (and Google Maps) tell me that the business I was searching for moved. Same in Europe. Doesn't hurt that Google Maps has public transit integrated pretty much around the globe. Apple Maps currently only has that in 10 cities.. screw that noise.

Re: Samsung acquires Viv, a next-gen AI assistant built by creators of Apple’s Siri

#55

Post by [deleted] »

chipotle_coyote wrote: post #32
cocktailpeanuts wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not talking about the content. Talking about the user experience. It does suck, and I'm not even an Apple hater. I have given up on using the default map for searching anything. Of course the map content itself is the same, but what good is a mobile map if you search for a coffee shop around you in New York and it gives you some grocery store in Scandinavia? I would be forgiving if this happened rarely, but to me…

While this is a war of anecdotes, I can safely say this has never happened to me. If I search for coffee shops around me, I see...coffee shops around me. The new redesign of maps for iOS 10 has -- at least to me -- a much better UX than the current Google Maps app does, also.

[deleted]

Re: Samsung acquires Viv, a next-gen AI assistant built by creators of Apple’s Siri

#56

Post by Yodoshi »

Fricken wrote: post #37

The AI platform that wins won't necessarily be the one that provides the most utility. It'll be the one that people bond with emotionally. I'm not talking about you here- I'm talking about teenage girls with self esteem issues, recently landed immigrants working as night janitors, divorcees with drinking problems, and anyone else who needs a friend. It's a technical challenge now, but in a few years making a good AI…

During Google's hardware/AI Assistant a point was made about wanting google assistant to emote based on context and be personal to the user, 'A personal google for everyone.

This plays to your suggestion of emotional bonding being a key need for AI assistant's.

Though having it called 'Google assistant' seems to break that connection, though imagine something is in the pipeline being tested and analysed over and over to see what works with AI connecting with a user.

Re: Samsung acquires Viv, a next-gen AI assistant built by creators of Apple’s Siri

#57

Post by Fricken »

Yodoshi wrote: post #56
Fricken wrote: post #37

The AI platform that wins won't necessarily be the one that provides the most utility. It'll be the one that people bond with emotionally. I'm not talking about you here- I'm talking about teenage girls with self esteem issues, recently landed immigrants working as night janitors, divorcees with drinking problems, and anyone else who needs a friend. It's a technical challenge now, but in a few years making a good AI…

During Google's hardware/AI Assistant a point was made about wanting google assistant to emote based on context and be personal to the user, 'A personal google for everyone. This plays to your suggestion of emotional bonding being a key need for AI assistant's. Though having it called 'Google assistant' seems to break that connection, though imagine something is in the pipeline being tested and analysed over and over…

If you think people are concerned with privacy now, an AI that people -kids- are spilling their deepest darkest secrets to will really creep us out.

It's probably best left to a third party to skin the Google assistant with soft skills. A small startup can afford to gamble on these things. Google (or Viv, Facebook, Cortana et al) need only provide the underlying capability, in such a way that they can wash their hands of it should it invoke a public backlash.

Just so long as they're collecting the data they need to ultimately know you better than you know yourself.

Re: Samsung acquires Viv, a next-gen AI assistant built by creators of Apple’s Siri

#58

Post by obmelvin »

xenobioticants wrote: post #54
chipotle_coyote wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While this is a war of anecdotes, I can safely say this has never happened to me. If I search for coffee shops around me, I see...coffee shops around me. The new redesign of maps for iOS 10 has -- at least to me -- a much better UX than the current Google Maps app does, also.

To pile on: all of you guys reside in the US. Google Maps its data is much more up to date compared to Apple Maps in most of the world. Navigating in SE-Asia with Gmaps is a breeze. Apple Maps constantly sent me to places, only to have the current address owner (and Google Maps) tell me that the business I was searching for moved. Same in Europe. Doesn't hurt that Google Maps has public transit integrated pretty much…

Yup, outside of the US is definitely where Google Maps data shines. Obviously just another anecdotal experience, but I've had Google instantly find places in Italy that Apple said didn't exist or gave a location very far from what we were looking for.

Re: Samsung acquires Viv, a next-gen AI assistant built by creators of Apple’s Siri

#59

Post by Razengan »

the_mitsuhiko wrote: post #25
Steko wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Just look at Google maps. Thousand times better than the default Apple maps No it isn't, they are basically the same for 90% of users.

I wish apple gave me a fair choice. I do prefer Google maps but i keep also using stupid apple maps because it keeps coming up.

As pointed out by another comment here [1], Google doesn't give you a "fair choice" in these things (beyond the ability to install competitors' offerings as separate apps) either:

> Google's MADA agreement forbids OEMs from making anything but Google Now/Voice Search the default digital assistant on Android devices with Google Play.

> Google is telling it's hardware partners for Google Home and Google Cast they're forbidden from supporting competing digital assistants.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12649533

Re: Samsung acquires Viv, a next-gen AI assistant built by creators of Apple’s Siri

#60

Post by Razengan »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #36
falaki wrote: post #2

I wonder if Samsung would ever put this on their Android Phones. I am confident it will not be able to compete with Google Now on the same device. In addition to founders, Viv got a good number of early Siri engineers. From this and other hints I gather its internals are similar to first few versions of Siri. For example, they outsource the Speech component (something Apple still does for several languages). A conseq…

Arguably, it may only have made sense for Samsung to buy Viv if Samsung is planning on ditching Google entirely. - Google's MADA agreement forbids OEMs from making anything but Google Now/Voice Search the default digital assistant on Android devices with Google Play. - Google is telling it's hardware partners for Google Home and Google Cast they're forbidden from supporting competing digital assistants. So, having Vi…

> Google ... forbids OEMs ... from supporting competing digital assistants.

~Wow, that kinda makes all the ire — including the comments on this page — directed towards Apple for its "walled garden" and "not allowing choice" seem a bit unfair.~

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