https://www.cnet.com/news/can-samsungs-ai-upscaling-really-make-tv-images-better/

One big reason to care about upscaling technology is because high-resolution video, in particular 8K, is still a few years away. We don't even have widespread 4K TV broadcasts yet in the US. Until they become more common, you'll still be watching a lot of 1080p and lower resolution sources on your shiny, new 4K or 8K TV. Improved upscaling can make those sources look better, especially on larger screens. 

Chief Samsung TV rival LG is doubling down on "AI" too. It's using the term in 2019 TVs for convenience features like Google Assistant and smart home integration, as well as for image-quality enhancements. Sony, on the other hand, doesn't call its picture processing "AI," yet it functions in a somewhat similar way to Samsung's AI upscaling.