What you need to know
Slowly but surely, Samsung has been upgrading Bixby with modern capabilities. With One UI 9.5 in the works, reports claim another huge upgrade is on the way.
A SamMobile report notes that a recent version of Samsung's AI assistant, Bixby, suggests the AI is moving toward a more "AI Agent" future. An AI Agent approach would give the previously stagnant or "old school" assistant more freedom to complete tasks for the user (similar to Gemini). Inside Bixby's main app, the publication notes that users may be able to create "actions."
These "actions" would serve as the automated tasks that Bixby can perform on your behalf. For example, the publication asked Bixby to tell them the "USD to INR exchange rate" every morning at nine. After confirming, the action is (quite literally) set in motion. Users seemingly remain in control of the actions/tasks they've given Bixby.
The post highlights a delete, pause, and pin option for set actions. What's more, it's suspected that there will be a log or history of that action. The publication presumes users could hop back in and revisit what Bixby told them. Since this is in "early testing," the full scope of Bixby's AI Agent capabilities isn't fully realized. However, speculation says the AI could book hotels and more for users.
There's a chance Samsung could roll out Bixby's AI Agent capabilities sometime in 2027.
Bixby wants to do more (again)
We'd have to hop back into testing Samsung's One UI 8.5 for other Bixby upgrades. Earlier this year, the company revealed new features for Bixby, including "more natural interactions and intuitive device control, reducing friction in everyday tasks." When Samsung's MX business COO, Won-Joon Choi, brought this up, they said users wouldn't have to know the ins and outs of their device to receive assistance.
So long as users know what they're looking for, they can describe it as best as possible, and Bixby would do the rest. Additionally, Bixby got a little better at web searches. Won-Joon Choi said Bixby would deliver "live and up-to-date information" if users are searching for hotels, restaurants, and more. We already know about Bixby's on-screen translation capabilities and ability to understand more complex queries.
However, a more agentic push brings it closer to what Google's doing with Gemini. All that's left to see is whether it happens, and if there's any real comparison.