Google’s Samsung AI Advantage

Can anyone catch up with Google in the AI race? That question came to mind on Monday, after Reuters quoted Samsung’s co-CEO talking about his plans to double the number of mobile devices running Galaxy AI, Samsung’s branded AI features backed by Google’s Gemini AI technology, to 800 million this year. (That’s separate to Samsung phones that have the Gemini consumer chatbot preinstalled.) And the two companies are not just collaborating on phones: Samsung plans to unveil Gemini-powered AI features for kitchen appliances at CES this week. They’re also working together on smart glasses featuring Gemini. Beyond Samsung, Google is also installing Gemini on TV sets running its Google TV software—it’s previewing some new features at CES this week.

But phones are key. This is where Google may soon have an unbeatable lead. Samsung has the top share of the global smartphone market, although some analysts have predicted Apple will take that spot once the final numbers for 2025 are tabulated. That tussle doesn’t matter much to Google, as it is expected to negotiate a deal to help power Apple’s Siri assistant on iPhones. You might say Google’s AI has locked up the mobile market, at least for the moment. Whether it proves permanent is hard to say, as Google’s arrangement with Samsung is likely for a few years only and it hasn’t yet finalized a deal with Apple.