AI Photo: VCG

As artificial intelligence (AI) innovations are starting to reshape people's daily lives, Chinese smartphone makers have ramped up the development of AI phones, showcasing the endeavors of Chinese enterprises in independent research and development (R&D) in leading technologies.

Smartphone maker Meizu announced on Sunday that it will stop development and shipment of old-fashioned cellphones and is ready for "All in AI."

The company said it owns an advantage in hardware and software development, and it will focus on turning out new AI-directed devices.

On the same day, OPPO CEO Chen Mingyong published an internal letter saying that 2024 is the first year of AI phones. "In the next five years, the impact of AI on the cellphone industry can be fully comparable to the year when smartphones replaced feature phones," Chen noted.

Chen said that AI cellphones could become the third stage of the cellphone industry after feature phones and smartphones, noting that AI technology supported by large language models is reshaping the information industry.

From launching a voice assistant to AI recognizing photos, to releasing the AndesGPT in 2023, OPPO has worked out its latest AI apps during the Spring Festival holidays. Chen said that the company has set up an AI center focusing on AI innovations.

In November, smartphone company Vivo released its self-developed large language model BlueLM. A month later, the Vivo S18 series, equipped with the AI feature, was officially released.

"AI technology is developing rapidly, and the smartphone has become one of the most commonly used electronic devices in people's daily lives. Therefore, integrating AI technology into cellphones can provide users with smarter and more convenient services," Wang Peng, an associate researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Wang noted that China has made remarkable achievements in cellphone manufacturing and R&D, and the rise of AI technology provides new opportunities for Chinese cellphone manufacturing.

The application scenarios of AI phones can cover all aspects of people's daily lives. For instance, an AI cellphone can be used as the central controller of a smart home to achieve intelligent control of home appliances through voice recognition, image recognition and other technologies.

In the field of healthcare, AI cellphones can help users to monitor their health and provide prompt and personalized health advice, Wang said.

"Although there is still a gap in China's AI development compared with international giants, with the continuous progress of the technology and the growth of market demand, Chinese cellphone manufacturers are expected to make more breakthroughs in AI technology and launch more innovative and competitive AI cellphone products," the expert noted.