AI is already everywhere on our phones, from the tools we use to edit photos to apps for language translation. But at CES 2024, I got a glimpse into how generative AI (the flavor of AI that powers ChatGPT) could change the way we use our phones more broadly.
Google’s Sameer Samat, general manager and vice president of Android, Google Play and Wear OS, sees advancements in AI as a big part of where phones are headed. We spoke in a quiet room amid jovial Android mascots dancing across a giant screen and life-sized Android statues that adorned Google’s booth just outside the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Smartphones have existed for more than a decade, but the software that powers those devices hasn’t changed much on a fundamental level. Despite the prevalence of virtual helpers like the Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa, using your phone still largely involves opening apps to get things done. Samat sees that changing, but gradually.Â
He likens smartphones to cars: You can’t take away fundamental elements like the steering wheel and pedals and jump straight into autonomous driving. Instead, it’s about looking for how AI can take over some tasks in ways that are actually useful.Â
“We’re still early days and all of that,” he said. “But I think we’re seeing how that can come together in ways that can really help you accomplish a lot more.”
That’s already starting to happen on Android broadly and Google’s Pixel phones more specifically with AI-powered features that can rewrite text messages in a different tone or move objects in photos. The next step, however, could be a more dramatic change to your phone’s underlying interface, but don’t expect that to happen overnight.
“Over time, I think the opportunity is to move to that world where the interface does change,” he said. “But I think that will be gradual. And we have to be careful to make sure that the user still feels comfortable…
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