Samsung to Embed AI in 99% of 2026 TVs with New Vision AI Companion

AI-first TVs as standard

Samsung Electronics (三星电子) told a Seoul press event it will ship televisions in South Korea in 2026 with AI features installed on 99% of its new models. The company unveiled Vision AI Companion, an integrated AI platform that pulls together Samsung’s Bixby, Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot services into a single interface. Short sentence: AI is no longer an option — it’s a baseline.

Hardware and product reach

Samsung said the 2026 line will stretch the AI stack from ultra‑high‑end Micro RGB sets down to entry‑level UHD models, covering Micro RGB, OLED, Neo QLED, Mini LED and UHD technologies. The new sets will use a faster on‑device AI processor — Samsung claims NPU speeds will double and the number of neural networks run will increase 6.4‑fold versus 2025 models — and the range also includes lifestyle products such as The Frame, Moving Style, The Freestyle and commercial Micro LED displays. What does that mean for buyers? More on‑screen recommendations, voice and contextual features across nearly every price tier.

Software, distribution and geopolitics

Samsung is pairing the hardware push with expanded software and distribution: its free streaming service Samsung TV Plus added 24‑hour channels such as KBS News 24 and SBS No.1 News Live, and reportedly exceeded 100 million monthly active users across 30 countries by early 2026. The Microsoft and Perplexity integrations underscore growing cross‑border AI partnerships. At the same time, this rapid rollout lands amid heightened U.S.–China tech tensions and shifting export controls that have reshaped semiconductor supply chains — a reminder that consumer AI at scale depends on geopolitically sensitive silicon and cloud ties.

The bigger picture

Samsung’s move signals a wider industry shift: TVs are becoming AI endpoints as much as display devices. Competitors, regulators and consumers will be watching for how these features affect privacy, content discovery and the economics of streaming and advertising.