Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Artificial Intelligence is a big merchandising point of theSamsung Galaxy S24 Ultra , at least according to Samsung . For the most part , the feature of speech in itsGalaxy AIsuite are quite impressive . Except for one of them , which is so bad , I ’m amazed Samsung had the guts to release it , let alone mention it during the launch .
I ’m babble about Chat Assist , a characteristic that adapts your hastily typed subject matter to make them suitable for different situation , such as sending them to your boss . Before I go into why Chat Assist is so awful , I implore you to never , eversend a subject matter create by the charisma - null that is the AI behind it to anyone . At least , not if you actually want to sound like a human being .
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
What is Chat Assist?
During Samsung ’s Unpacked 2024 event , when the Galaxy S24 serial was unveil , Samsung evince two different ways of convert the tone of your written messages . It first demoedGoogle ’s Magic Composefeature , which was initially unveil during Google I / atomic number 8 in 2023 , and then showed its own Chat Assist feature as another mode to institutionalize “ expressive school text using AI . ” The thing is , Magic Compose is only available on thePixel 8andPixel 8 Proat the second , leave alone most hoi polloi with no choice but to habituate Samsung ’s Chat Assist . Oh , you pitiful , wretched devils .
Chat Assist is part ofSamsung ’s fairly dire Samsung Keyboard , and it is there for all to enjoy in any message app you use . I ’ve been using it mostly in WhatsApp , but it also works in Messages , Teams , Line , Instagram , and just about any app where you could talk to people . It ’s activated with a pat of the sparkly ikon above the keyboard and has three unlike selection — Spelling and Grammar , Translate , and Writing Style . The last one is the one you do n’t ever want to choose .
The magic happens as it reads your message and then provide a series of alternative message tailored to specific scenarios — such as Casual , Polite , and Professional — ready for you to spice up up the conversation , wow people with your polished prose , or impress with your across-the-board lexicon . The fuss is , it wo n’t do any of those thing and will instead make people assume you ’re a scammer , a bot , or an extraterrestrial being giving its good nip at sounding like a homo .
Consistently awful
No matter how risky you think you are at thread a few words together in a message , Chat Assist will not help . In fact , I do n’t recollect anyone will gain from this cockeyed feature . Do n’t believe me , or mean that I ’m exaggerating ? Oh no , I ’m probably beingtoo kindabout it . permit me give you a few examples of what Galaxy AI ’s wretched Writing Style does to your messages .
You compose a normal , generic message to a friend : “ Hey ! How was your weekend ? I know it rain a bit , but I still did some work in the garden . Want to get coffee after ? ” All very ordinary , but what if you wanted to post this to your boss ? Do n’t worry , Chat Assist will change over it to a Professional manner ! This is what it descend up with :
“ I trust this electronic mail finds you well . I wanted to inquire about your accessibility for a burnt umber meeting subsequently today . Despite the inclement weather over the weekend , I managed to execute some tasks in the garden . Please let me have sex when you are able-bodied to touch . ”
I detest to break it to you , but the recipient role will never have “ availableness ” if this is the message you send them , specially as you intelligibly do n’t know the difference between an SM and an electronic mail . It ’s like that installment ofFriendswhen Joey ( sorry , Baby Kangaroo Tribbiani)uses a thesaurus to jazz up his letterto Chandler and Monica ’s espousal agency . “ you may pick the word that makes you sound smart , ” Ross say him , and that ’s incisively how Chat Assist come on its professional tone .
Surely it’s better when being casual?
Chat Assist ’s professional tone is a no - go if you want people to believe you ’re a human and not a pod person , but what about a casual tone ? jaw Assist has several options for less formal subject matter , including ones that add a few emojis and hashtags if your finish is to fathom like a 12 - class - former . But what about its basic perfunctory tint ?
Say , I ’ve got no personality , and the best I can get by when give-up the ghost for a friendly message is , “ I have been busy with work this workweek . I would like to do something over the weekend if you ’re useable ? ”
Will Chat Assist come to my delivery and make me sound fun ? Let ’s see .
“ Hey , I ’ve been swamped with work this week . Wanna hang out this weekend if you ’re destitute ? ”
Well , fellow kid , it ’s decidedly more casual .
Alternatively , for the same message , Chat Assist ’s societal option is , “ I ’ve been swamped with work this hebdomad , but I ’m trust to view a break over the weekend ! Anyone up for some fun ? # WeekendVibes # LetsDoThis ”
It ’s no spoiled , but the “ up for some sport ” part could be a spot OnlyFans for some , and the hashtags are more mid - life crisis than unseasoned and carefree . Chat Assist ’s Polite tone changes the ending to , “ I would love to spend some caliber time with you ” if you prefer something gently passive / strong-growing . I have yet to occur across one content generated by Chat Assist that I would want to use or experience that it represents me in any way at all .
Not the Assistant you’re looking for
I could continue heel examples of Chat Assist ’s complete failure , but you get the peak . If the approximation behind the lineament is to shoot personality or successfully and subtly alter the way a substance reads to make it suitable for dissimilar people , it just does n’t wreak . However , it ’s not the words themselves that are at break ; it ’s that the AI itself does n’t have a personality and simply is n’t able to compass or realise the situations it ’s supposed to be write for .
alfresco of using it ironically , as it would be quite suspect in reality to conduct conversation with its suggestions , there ’s no value at all here . Samsung need to dramatically better Chat Assist ’s Writing Style mode , especially if it wants to charge people for using some of the Galaxy AI features in the future or just sweep it under the carpeting . You experience , like it did with Bixby .
It ’s surprising Samsung decided to let in its own take on Google ’s Magic Compose at all . It ’s everything that ’s defective about AI , and it makes the otherwise quite interesting Galaxy AI suite look like a whatchamacallit . Outside of playing with Chat Assist for a few cheap laugh , no one is ever run short to in earnest expend it after they ’ve see how it butchers messages .
