The smartphone as AI’s launchpad: A perspective on the domestication of artificial intelligence in China

In this Perspective paper, we put forward two theses. First, while the focus so far has been on how artificial intelligence (AI) will reshape work processes in large-scale organizations, it will first and foremost develop through the smartphone. The mobile AI marks the true beginning of AI’s everyday integration, where it already has intimate and constant presence in daily life. Just as smartphones once displaced feature phones and reshaped internet access, AI-empowered smartphones are likely to enable users to redefine communication, mobility, and social interaction. Second, China is likely to be at the leading edge of this shift. In China, the concomitant presence of a number of elements, such as a mobile-first population, advanced digital infrastructure, competitive domestic manufacturers, and state-led policy support have created an ecosystem where mobile AI adoption is accelerating fast and at great scale.