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At Mobile World Congress (MWC), Deutsche Telekom unveiled an intriguing concept smartphone that reimagines the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in mobile technology. Called the AI Phone, the experimental device avoids traditional apps in favor of an all-encompassing built-in AI assistant. According to Telekom CEO Tim Hoettges, apps as we know them could become obsolete within the next 5-10 years, as AI fulfills all user needs in a more flexible way.
Deutsche Telekom’s AI Phone relies solely on AI
Instead of a home screen full of app icons, the AI Phone presents users with a large button that connects them directly to its AI system, developed in partnership with Brain.ai. Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC with access to cloud data, the AI handles tasks such as trip planning, photo sharing, shopping recommendations, and device control through natural language and visual interfaces.
At MWC, Telekom and Brain demonstrated examples such as using voice and touch to research and book flights. The AI also offered personalized gift suggestions from Amazon with one-tap shopping.
While the demo showcased messaging, day-to-day communication capabilities likely haven’t left the developmental stage. However, Telekom emphasized that the concept retains access to apps via a drawer – the AI is meant to add versatility, not replace existing features outright.
It’s clear that the concept AI Phone raises promising ideas for the evolution of the smartphone, but the technology remains in its early stages. Voice assistants on standard devices and Brain’s iOS app have received mixed feedback, suggesting the AI phone may need further refinement.
“The product presented reflects Deutsche Telekom’s belief that multi- and cross-modal Large Language Models (LLMs) will soon become an integral part of devices, improving and simplifying the lives of its customers,” said CEO Tim Hoettges. Telekom characterized this as a concept that could lead to future products, rather than a near-term launch.
In a similar move, AI startup Rabbit announced a dedicated AI companion device, the Rabbit R1, at CES 2023. It doesn’t aim to replace smartphones, but it can run apps on the user’s behalf. Its primary goal is to act as a bridge between users and their smartphones.