Beckon the Google Assistant on your phone, hum a tune, and ask it to recognise the song. You will be surprised by how accurate the answer is. Then, use Google Lens on your device to identify a pair of sneakers or an outfit. In response, your smartphone will quickly search the internet to instantly display the product’s details, including its price and where you can buy it.
Impressive, isn’t it? This ladies and gentlemen, is the
Artificial Intelligence built into your device that puts the “smart” into your smartphone.
According to a
2023 report by Exactitude Consultancy, the global mobile AI market size is projected to grow to a whopping $80.28 billion by 2029, at a staggering rate of 28.5 percent every year.
But AI is not new. You have been using it on your smartphone for years. Ever wondered how your keyboard’s predictive text function is always one step ahead of you? Simple. It uses AI and learns your typing patterns, vocabulary, and phrasal use to complete your sentence even as you are typing it.
What is not so simple are the algorithms that work behind the scenes—trained on massive datasets, your text inputs, and usage patterns—to constantly improve and refine their recognition capabilities through machine learning techniques.
With AI as your smartphone’s secret weapon, you are armed with an extraordinary device that works hard to make your life simpler.
Take a day in your life; you wake up in the morning and say, “Ok Google, what’s the weather like today?” The algorithms on your phone are smart enough to consider your location to provide you with the most accurate forecasts it can pull from the Internet.
Your handset is like having your own personal butler; it understands context, and natural language, answers questions, sets reminders, and so much more.
Indeed, Alan Turing—the father of AI—would have been amazed by how far we have come since 1950 when he postulated the Turing Test for machines – essentially, its ability to exhibit intelligent behaviour equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human.
Smartphones, nowadays, like humans, are trained to recognise you with an accuracy that was unimaginable a decade ago. Your device uses sophisticated facial recognition algorithms to analyse features like the distance between your eyes, the depth of your eye sockets, the distance from forehead to chin, the shape of your cheekbones, and the contour of the lips, ears, and chin before it even unlocks your handset – and it does this in milliseconds. These algorithms even compensate for changes in appearance, such as a new hairstyle or a beard.
But wait, there’s more! Facial recognition systems do not just recognise your face; they have evolved to detect a real live person—by reading micro-movements and more—so they cannot be fooled by a static photograph.
Speaking of photographs, AI even powers the camera on your handset. When you snap a portrait photo, it identifies the human subject, separates them from the background, applies a few beautification algorithms, and then blurs the background to give it that sweet DSLR-like bokeh effect.
With AI’s keen eye, your smartphone recognises when you are snapping pictures of food, sunsets, quick-moving objects, pets, children and landscapes to produce the best possible image by automatically adjusting camera settings.
Smarter algorithms can detect skin tones, the sex of the subject, and even their age to apply appropriate beautification filters.
The smarts built into your device not only recognise you; they can also help you to get to where you want to be.
Google Maps allows you to input destinations or search nearby places using voice commands. You can say things like “Find the nearest coffee shop” or “Navigate to the Red Fort”, and the intelligent navigation system will provide you with directions with traffic data that it has culled from other map users. And when you are driving, AI-powered voice-recognition systems enable hands-free operation that allows you to make calls, dictate messages, and even search the web simply by speaking to your devices.
And here’s where it gets even more fascinating.
Through the power of machine learning, your smartphone evolves and learns with every interaction. It refines its understanding of different accents and even dialects.
When you’ve had a long day—commuting out and about—AI even kicks in to conserve your device battery. Call it self-preservation if you please. Modern smartphones offer a battery-saver mode wherein algorithms optimise system performance, reduce background activity, and limit features to extend battery life. You can activate this mode when your battery is running low to ensure your device lasts longer until you can recharge it. With the power of AI and machine learning, algorithms learn our habits, identify energy-draining apps or processes, and optimise device settings to maximise battery.
At the same time, your smartphone can also protect you and keep you healthy. You can set your phone to track your physical activity; your step count, distance covered on your walks and jogs, and calories burned. Through machine learning, they can track your heart rate and sleep patterns, as well as recognise irregularities that may indicate potential health issues. Your butler is also your caretaker. Your smartphone can provide personalised insights and suggestions for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, reminding you to take breaks, stay hydrated, or engage in physical activities.
But this is just the beginning. Imagine an intelligent digital entity, much like Tony “Iron Man” Stark’s JARVIS (Just A Rather Very Intelligent System). A voice-activated genius that is a whiz at answering questions, making executive decisions, following orders, and adding a playful twist with funny banter. Like JARVIS, your phone will learn, adapt, and contextualise your requests and commands. It will grow smarter with each interaction; it will become the only device you will need
to control multiple gadgets in your home – from your lights to your security systems, your smart appliances and even your grocery orders. It will use context to dim the lights whenever you choose to listen to Michael Bublé on your streaming music system, and even nag you about your health checkups…
Now, I know this sounds like some fancy Jetson sci-fi stuff. But guess what? AI is here, and here to stay. In fact, I have a confession to make. I did not really write this piece,
I got ChatGPT to do it as I listened to some AC/DC.
— Damyant Singh Khanoria is the Chief Marketing Officer at OPPO India. Views expressed herein are personal
