Artificial intelligence has already permeated every aspect of our phones, from photo editing software to language translation apps. But at CES 2024 they showed how ChatGPT’s generative AI—a type of AI—may alter how we use our phones in general.
The future of phones, according to Sameer Samat of Google, general manager and vice president of Android, Google Play, and Wear OS, is largely dependent on advances in artificial intelligence.
Over the course of over a decade, not much has changed in terms of the underlying software that powers smartphones. Even with the widespread availability of virtual assistants such as Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa, most tasks on your phone still need you to open apps. Samat sees that gradually changing.
He compares smartphones to cars, saying that you can’t just take away the steering wheel and pedals and start driving an autonomous vehicle. Rather, the focus should be on identifying practical ways that AI can replace certain tasks.
He stated that it’s still early and all that. However, he believes we’re starting to understand how those things might work together to actually help you do a lot more.
With AI-powered capabilities that can rewrite text messages in a different tone or rearrange things in images, that is already beginning to happen on Android in general and Google’s Pixel phones in particular. Though don’t expect that to happen overnight, the next stage might be a more significant alteration to the core interface of your phone.
He stated that moving to a world where the interface changes over time presents an opportunity. But that will probably happen gradually. We must also exercise caution to ensure that the user continues to feel at ease and familiar with the entire smartphone experience, as we do rely on them on a daily basis.
As of yet, Samat was unable to provide a clear description of that. But he clarified how large language models—the underlying AI model for comprehending natural language and generating conversational outcomes—power goods and services that vary from voice assistants from the previous ten years.
Samat described current voice assistants as not merely interpreting a structured sentence and having specific integrations to turn lights on and off. Rather, it’s the capacity to really translate natural language into a corresponding coding action.
More potent CPUs in future phones will probably be made to process that kind of data locally rather than on the cloud. In general, privacy benefits from this approach because data stays on the phone. This has informed the development of both Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 CPU and Google’s most recent Tensor processor, which should be found in new phones by 2024.
It’s too soon to speculate about additional ways that the development of AI might affect phone design. But Google is not the only company that believes AI will play a significant role in the future of smartphones and other devices. For example, Samsung unveiled Galaxy AI in November, describing it as a “full mobile AI experience.” A new pocket-sized device dubbed the R1, developed by a startup named Rabbit, completely replaces standard apps with an artificial intelligence-based interface. Additionally, Apple is anticipated to include additional AI in the upcoming iOS release.
Generative AI may prove to be the perfect tool for the smartphone industry to lure customers into purchasing new devices, provided that it fulfills its potential.
According to him, AI capabilities like Google’s Magic Editor—which allows users to expand and modify specific objects in photos—feel like the future, and [consumers] find that fascinating. And things that seem like they belong in the future and are usually what we see customers purchasing from stores.
