Samsung’s cute orb-shaped robot is getting a smarts upgrade thanks to Google’s Gemini AI. The home robot, which will be available from this summer, will now be able to partake in more advanced conversations with you, your family, your friends and your guests.
Using voice commands, you’ll be able to give instructions to Ballie about managing your home environment, including adjusting mood lighting, creating schedules and greeting people at the door (although as the robot has no thumbs and is of diminutive stature, it’s not entirely clear how it would actually open the door).
According to Samsung, the Gemini integration will also allow Ballie to give you styling advice when you’re trying to pick out what to wear in the morning, suggesting accessories or “a colorful new shirt” (hopefully it’ll also know whether you have one of these ready to go.
Ballie’s evolution is thanks in large part to the integration of Google’s AI tools with Samsung’s own language models, combined with the data the robot can collect via its microphones, cameras and sensors. The two companies have a long history of collaboration, and have been working especially closely together over the past few years to integrate Google’s latest AI developments into Samsung’s flagship phones, such as the Galaxy S25 series.
“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,” said Yongjae Kim, Samsung’s EVP of visual displays in a press release.
Ballie’s Slow Roll Out
When Samsung first unveiled Ballie at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, it wasn’t clear whether the robot would ever make it beyond the show floor. I’ve been covering robots at CES for almost a decade, and it’s safe to say that the majority of them are simply concepts that tech companies use to draw crowds and attention. But not Ballie.
Ballie popped up again at CES 2024, and then again at the show this year, where Samsung finally announced the robot would go on sale in the US and South Korea in summer 2025.
Still, Samsung may have it’s work cut out to convince people they need a Ballie in their homes, says Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight. “Personal robots like Ballie grab the headlines and consumers’ imagination, but as Amazon found with its Astro Robot, which launched in 2021, it’s a tricky market.”
People are definitely interested in the idea of home robots, but that doesn’t mean they’ll buy them. According to Wood, Amazon is thought to only have sold a few hundred units of Astro. But recent developments in AI, plus rumors the Apple plans to enter the robotics market in the coming years (and showing off concepts in the meantime) means there is hope yet for this much-hyped technology to take off and find its way into our homes.
“Samsung will be hoping it will have more success with Ballie, and infusing it with the Gemini assistant will undoubtedly make it more engaging,” says Wood. “However, the question remains: what do you really need it for when you have Gemini on the smartphone in your pocket?”
Samsung still has announced pricing for Ballie, and without this, it’s hard to guess exactly how popular the companion droid will be. If it’s relatively affordable, it could well become the first robot that many people welcome into their family, embedding Gemini even further into our lives and homes.
Watch this: Samsung Has a Ballie: AI Robot Helps Around the House
