What is your opinion on all of the so-called “AI” features on recent smartphones?

These days, there is a lot of focus on "AI" features. Artificial intelligence is the intelligence that is demonstrated by machines, instead of the natural intelligence shown by humans. It has been acclaimed by tech companies to be the next big thing in the technology industry. In the smartphone industry, many device makers are now falling into a habit of calling all new smart features as "AI" features. But the question is: are these features really related to AI, or is AI simply becoming a buzzword?

In the last ten years, smartphones have undergone a huge transformation from the first-generation devices. They can do next word prediction for typing, contextual language understanding in voice input, and more. A lot of these features are made possible by machine learning (ML), which is a field of computer science that uses statistical techniques to give computer systems the ability to learn (perform better at a task), without them being specifically programmed.

For example, Google is one of the foremost companies to use artificial intelligence in smartphones. Google Photos, Google Assistant, and more recently, Google Camera's HDR+ all rely on machine learning. The company's solutions have been acclaimed for their performance. Seeing Google's success, other device makers are jumping on the bandwagon as well.

Huawei was the first to include dedicated hardware for AI in the form of a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) in the Hi Silicon Kirin 970 system-on-chip, which is used in the Huawei Mate 10 series, Honor View 10, Huawei P20/P20 Pro, and the Honor 10. The company has made AI a key focus of its smartphones, with AI-assisted object and scene recognition, stabilization, and use of "AI" to keep the phone running smoothly.

With the LG V30S ThinQ, LG also started marketing "AI" features such as "AI Cam," which gives recommendations to improve a photo based on the objects in a frame. The "ThinQ" branding itself is related to the marketing of AI features. The newly announced LG G7 ThinQ also contains "AI Cam" and other features.

Other device makers marketing AI features include ASUS and Xiaomi. The ZenFone 5 series, due to release in June, has many "AI" features such as "AI Charging, AI Ringtone, AI Scene Detection, AI Photo Learning," and more. The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S and the Mi 6X also feature AI-assisted real-time object and scene recognition, just like the latest Huawei/Honor smartphones.

Do you think that these "AI" features prove their worth in practice? Is it true that AI is fast becoming a buzzword or not? Let us know in the comments below.

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