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Samsung may have been the first smartphone maker to incorporate Generative AI, or GenAI, into its phones this year, but that trend is expected to grow.
According to Counterpoint Research’s upcoming GenAI Smartphone Shipments and Insights report, GenAI smartphone shipments will reach 11% by 2024 and 43% by 2027 to pass 550 million units.
The estimates from its new report are higher than its earlier forecasts from December 2023 due to Apple’s anticipated entry into the segment, it said. The research firm believes Samsung will lead the GenAI smartphone rankings in 2024, while Apple will probably lead in 2025.
READ: Review | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Lighter yet stronger titanium build
Semiconductor maker Qualcomm says:
Qualcomm’s latest chip, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which powers devices from the above-mentioned manufacturers, offers an integrated neural processing unit built specifically to enable GenAI features.
It explains that the chip takes advantage of a combination of processors beyond the NPU, including the central processing unit, graphics processing unit, and always-on sensor processor, to increase performance and optimise energy efficiency.
Examples of features enabled by the chip include the Galaxy S24’s Live Translate and the Asus Zenfone 11’s AI Call Translator; Xiaomi 14’s AI Portrait mode that generates selfies from a user’s gallery; and Oppo’s Find X7 Ultra that removes objects from photos with its AIGC Eraser.
For those who don’t have a smartphone powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, you can still take advantage of GenAI apps through software or apps on your device.
Here’s our list of GenAI apps you use right now:
1. Instagram and Whatsapp
Meta has started rolling out AI-powered text-to-image generation features on WhatsApp and Instagram to users in Africa and India, according to TechCrunch.
You may have seen the update on your device recently, which enables image creation and online search. WhatsApp offers prompts to search for DIY book décor ideas, top-rated podcasts, digital photography tips, natural makeup looks, cardio vs weights, right from a WhatsApp chat window, whereas Instagram lets you generate images from text prompts.
Users can also generate AI stickers since last year using its Llama 2 technology, and image generator called Emu, across Messenger, Instagram and Facebook Stories.
2. Google Gemini
Available through the web, Android app or inside the Google app on iOS, Gemini Chat, formerly called Bard, allows users to do many things, including planning a holiday, tips to reach personal goals, explaining complex topics in simple terms, or summarising a complex document.
Users can choose for replies to be more, or less formal, and ask to follow up on questions or refine the answers. It can also generate images or create photo captions. Users who have access to the Gemini app can use Google’s other AI models to do things like help with brainstorming, summarising info from Gmail or Google Drive, making plans with Google Flights and Maps. Visit: gemini.google.com
READ: IN PICTURES | Samsung bets on generative AI for its new flagship Galaxy S Series
3. Microsoft Copilot
The Microsoft Copilot free consumer app is available on both iOS and Android devices, and it is powered by GPT-4. You can choose a conversation style that is more creative, balanced, or precise.
The free version without being signed into a Microsoft account lets you ask it to create images, help with budgets, list popular kids' clothing brands, tell you jokes, and do something more technical like write code or even a quick C# programme to check if a number is prime.
When a user is logged into a Microsoft account, you can go into Copilot as above, or go into different modes like Designer for image generation, Vacation Planner to create itineraries, Cooking Assistant to find and create recipes, and a Fitness Trainer to design exercise programmes and offer education on nutrition, health and wellness.
4. ChatGPT
This list wouldn’t be complete without ChatGPT , which took AI mainstream in 2023. It held the record for “fastest-growing consumer app in history” at launch, garnering 1 million users within five days. The record was broken with Threads by Instagram, which reached 1 million users in an hour due to using the same login as Instagram.
Microsoft, which invested heavily into OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT, also leverages OpenAI’s tech for Copilot; however, the free version of the ChatGPT app, powered by ChatGPT 3.5, offers slightly different features. Available as a standalone app on Android and iOS, ChatGPT lets you compose letters, essays or emails, create lists, write codes, summarise content, generate ideas or search the internet. GPT-4 is available as a paid version.
