Samsung's flagship Galaxy S24 lineup, which was unveiled this week, may introduce a paid subscription for some AI features in the future, reports ArsTechnica. According to a note printed at the bottom of the Galaxy S24's US advertising page, AI features currently offered in the series for free will remain so until the end of 2025. This means that Samsung can start charging for these features almost 2 years after the start of sales.
The company has not yet specified which functions are involved. Most of the new AI capabilities of the Galaxy S24 line are processed on the smartphones themselves, although in the device options, you can enable the transmission of encrypted data during input, after which it will be transferred to the Samsung server for more accurate operation of AI models. Thus, we can talk about a real-time translation function and the ability to decrypt voice recordings by converting them into text files.
It's worth noting that Google has already introduced a paid subscription to additional AI options for Google Photo as part of its Google One tariff plans. The subscription allows access to AI tools for photo editing, such as the "magic eraser" for removing objects. Similarly, Amazon is planning to introduce a paid subscription to its voice assistant Alexa in the future.
The decision to potentially monetize these AI functions is due to the fact that they are increasingly demanding of server time and resources, resulting in additional operating costs for companies. Samsung's decision to charge for the use of AI functions is in line with the general trend of the industry moving to subscription models for advanced technology services.
As the end of 2025 approaches, Samsung will likely monitor customer feedback to gauge reactions to a potential fee for AI features, which could influence their final decision on the matter.