What are Virtual Assistants and How Do They Work?
Virtual assistants, sometimes called AI assistants, are software programs that can understand voice commands and complete tasks for users hands-free. They utilize natural language processing and machine learning to comprehend requests and determine the required actions.
Most virtual assistants today are cloud-based. They connect to the internet to leverage large datasets and neural networks to continuously improve their capabilities. Users can access them through devices like smartphones, speakers, tablets and more.
Common virtual assistant abilities include:
- Setting reminders and calendar appointments
- Controlling smart home devices like lights, thermostats and appliances
- Playing music
- Getting answers to questions using web search
- Online shopping
- Navigation and maps
Leading virtual assistant platforms today include Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant and Bixby. Let‘s look at the last two more closely.
Introducing Bixby – Samsung‘s Virtual Assistant
Bixby is the virtual assistant developed by Samsung for its Galaxy smartphones, SmartThings ecosystem, Family Hub refrigerators and other devices.
First released in 2017, Bixby was designed for natural language interactions to simplify user control. It focuses specifically on operating Samsung devices and services through voice.
Bixby is activated by the wake words "Hi Bixby" and has three core capabilities:
- Bixby Voice – Core voice assistant features like voice commands, dictation, reminders and smartphone app control.
- Bixby Vision – Image recognition using the phone‘s camera for shopping, translation and identifying objects.
- Bixby Home – A feed of personalized info like reminders, fitness data and suggestions based on user patterns.
The goal with Bixby is deeper integration of voice control across the Samsung ecosystem to boost convenience.
Overview of Google Assistant
First unveiled in 2016, Google Assistant is the search giant‘s virtual assistant available across its products like Android phones, Google Home smart speakers and third party devices.
Google Assistant leverages the company‘s vast data and AI capabilities to understand natural language and complex voice commands. Users can activate it by saying "OK Google" or "Hey Google."
Some key Google Assistant features include:
- Web search queries and access to Google services
- Control of compatible smart home devices and internet-of-things products
- Navigation assistance through Google Maps
- Playing music, playlists and controlling playback
- Setting reminders, calendar events and timers
The goal with Google Assistant is to apply Google‘s latest AI advancements across devices and create a seamless connected experience.
Now that we‘ve covered the basics on Bixby and Google Assistant, let‘s compare them across some key dimensions:
Bixby vs. Google Assistant Feature Comparison
Voice Commands: Both assistants offer robust voice control for tasks like dictating texts, setting reminders, asking questions, controlling music and more. Google Assistant has the edge for general search queries while Bixby specializes in device-specific commands within the Samsung ecosystem.
Smart Home Control: Google Assistant integrates with over 10,000 smart home devices from Nest to Philips Hue and more. Bixby also controls smart home devices but focuses more on Samsung‘s SmartThings platform. Both can turn lights on/off, adjust temperature, control appliances and more through voice.
Phone Tasks: Bixby shines when it comes to phone-related commands within Samsung Galaxy devices like changing settings, opening apps, texting contacts and operating the camera. Google Assistant offers some phone control but Bixby is more seamless.
Language Support: Google Assistant vastly outpaces Bixby here, supporting over 40 languages and multiple regional dialects. Bixby supports US English plus Korean, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese Chinese and Japanese.
| Google Assistant | Bixby | |
| Voice Commands | Excellent for search queries | Very good for device control |
| Smart Home Control | Compatible with over 10,000 devices | Seamless with Samsung SmartThings |
| Phone Tasks | Good for basics | Specialized for Galaxy phones |
| Languages | Over 40 languages supported | 8 total languages |
Performance and Accuracy
Many independent tests have found Google Assistant to be the most accurate and responsive virtual assistant available today. It leverages Google‘s vast search index, knowledge graph and machine learning expertise.
However, Bixby is also quite reliable, especially for device-specific commands on newer Samsung phones and tablets. Thanks to deep integration, it can execute certain device actions faster than Google Assistant.
So Google holds the edge for broad, factual queries while Bixby offers a tighter focus for operating Samsung Galaxy devices smoothly.
Accessibility and Ease of Use
Google Assistant is more readily accessible across devices since it‘s available across Android phones, tablets, Google Home speakers and more from various brands.
Bixby is primarily restricted to latest Samsung devices like the S21 series phones, Galaxy Tab tablets and Family Hub refrigerators. So Google Assistant has the versatility advantage in terms of what devices it can run on.
Both assistants are quite easy to use once set up. The wake words "OK Google" and "Hi Bixby" allow hands-free activation. Users can dive right into asking questions, getting information and executing commands through natural language conversations.
What Does the Future Hold?
As machine learning and natural language processing technologies improve, we can expect both Bixby and Google Assistant to become faster, more accurate and capable over time.
Google will likely maintain a competitive edge owing to its superior AI research and ability to process huge datasets. We‘ll see the Assistant get better at complex, contextual conversations and tasks.
However, Bixby will also evolve quickly with Samsung‘s investments in areas like computer vision and audio processing. Expect Bixby to extend voice control and integration across more Samsung products.
Over time, having multiple advanced virtual assistants can provide users more choice and flexibility suited to different needs.
The Verdict: Which Assistant Should You Use?
For most users across various devices, Google Assistant is the superior overall virtual assistant today. It offers greater accuracy, language support, third party integrations and accessibility.
However, for Samsung phone owners deeply embedded into the Samsung connected ecosystem, Bixby offers some unique advantages thanks to specialized optimization.
In the end, integrating both assistants where possible provides maximum flexibility. Google Assistant excels at information search and smart home control while Bixby streamlines Samsung device operations through intuitive voice commands.
Together they provide a very powerful one-two punch for productivity and convenience!
