(LEAD) Samsung hosts forum on AI platform Bixby in Seoul

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SEOUL, Nov. 20 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co. on Tuesday hosted a forum on its artificial intelligence (AI) platform Bixby in Seoul, emphasizing the necessity of inviting more developers to expand the AI assistant's ecosystem.

"Bixby is a platform that can expand freely," Samsung Electronics Vice President Chung Eui-suk, who leads the project, said during Bixby Developer Day. "By 2020, all Samsung devices will support Bixby."

Chung said the company also plans to have products from rival companies be able to access Bixby through Samsung's Internet-of-Things platform.

Larry Heck, who heads the company's AI research at Samsung Research America, said Samsung has advantages in the industry as it has a wide range of devices in its portfolio, which can help in expanding the scope of AI services.

Around 800 local developers participated in the event, which also involved training on how to utilize Bixby's software development kit.

During the event, Samsung Venture Investment Corp., an affiliate of Samsung Electronics specializing in fostering startups, claimed it raised a fund worth 50 billion won (US$44.3 million) to invest in venture firms with competitive AI technologies.

colin@yna.co.kr
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