Samsung AI robot Ballie to feature Google's Gemini

Samsung Electronics home AI companion robot Ballie (Samsung Electronics)

Samsung Electronics announced Thursday that its home AI companion robot Ballie will integrate Gemini, Google Cloud’s generative AI technology, to enable more natural and conversational interactions to work through everyday tasks effectively.

Announcing the expanded partnership at this year's Google Cloud Next 2025, Samsung said it plans to launch Ballie this summer. The collaboration follows the successful integration of Gemini on Google Cloud into Samsung's Galaxy S24 smartphone series last year.

Designed to assist users in managing their home environments, Ballie can perform a range of tasks, from adjusting lighting and greeting visitors at the door to personalizing schedules and setting reminders, according to Samsung.

“Through this partnership, Samsung and Google Cloud are redefining the role of AI in the home,” said Kim Yong-jae, executive vice president of the visual display business at Samsung Electronics.

“By pairing Gemini’s powerful multimodal reasoning with Samsung’s AI capabilities in Ballie, we’re leveraging the power of open collaboration to unlock a new era of personalized AI companion — one that moves with users, anticipates their needs and interacts in more dynamic and meaningful ways than ever before.”

Samsung said Ballie will use Gemini’s multimodal capabilities along with its in-house language models to process and understand a variety of inputs, including audio and voice, visual data from its camera and sensor data from its environment.

With the enhanced artificial intelligence capabilities, the AI companion robot will be able to adapt its behavior and responses in real time. For example, if a user asks what to wear to work in the morning, Ballie could offer personalized outfit suggestions.

With Gemini's advanced reasoning, Ballie will also assist with health and wellness, Samsung said. If a user says they feel tired, the robot could use insights from Google Search to provide tailored tips on improving their energy levels, including recommended exercises and sleep monitoring suggestions.

“With Gemini on Google Cloud, Samsung is demonstrating how to deploy generative AI at scale, integrating it directly into the heart of their popular products,” Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian said.

“This expanded partnership with Samsung underscores our commitment to delivering reliable, enterprise-grade AI that drives lasting value for our customers — and their customers.”

According to Morgan Stanley Capital International, the global home robotics market is expected to grow from $8 billion in 2023 to $18.9 billion in 2028, showing a compound annual growth rate of 18.8 percent.