Samsung buys Viv AI tool to build its own assistant to rival Siri and Cortana

Are you being served? Samsung aims to make its own digital assistant using technology from Viv acquisition

Samsung is to acquire Viv, a digital assistant based on artificial intelligence - built by the same people that were behind Apple Siri.

Co-founded by Siri masterminds Dag Kittlaus, Adam Cheyer and Chris Brigham, they say that Viv is a more powerful version of Apple's digital assistant that can respond to complex, layered questions.

Viv is able to understand a user's intentions and will write its own code to perform a task that it didn't previously know how to do.

Following the deal, terms of which were not disclosed, Viv will continue to operate as an independent company, providing services to Samsung and its platforms.

Samsung is setting its sights on Google Assistant and plans to integrate Viv not just with smartphones and tablets, but wearables and home appliances, so you could perhaps ask your fridge to order some more food or your TV to set a recording.

Injong Rhee, chief technology officer of mobile communications at Samsung, said: "Unlike other existing AI-based services, Viv has sophisticated natural language understanding, machine learning capabilities and strategic partnerships that will enrich a broader service ecosystem.

"Viv was built with consumers and developers in mind. This dual focus is what attracted us to Viv as an ideal candidate to integrate with Samsung devices and appliances."

Dag Kittlaus, CEO of Viv, added: "Samsung offers us a unique opportunity to deliver a single conversational interface to the world's apps and services across a diverse range of products, at a global scale."

Samsung has yet to say when Viv will debut on the firm's platforms, but the iPhone 7 and Google Pixel smartphones put AI functionality at the forefront and we'd expect the digital assistant to play a big part in the Galaxy S8.

The news is a brief respite for the firm as it deals with the potentially hugely damaging revelation that a replacement Galaxy Note 7 caught fire on a plane, causing it to be evacuated.