How smartphones powered the AI boom in 2024

The generative AI boom continued at pace in 2024, with smartphones becoming a key battleground for the technology’s development as Samsung, Google and Apple all introduced new AI tools to their devices.

Many commentators and the tech firms themselves have said a big hurdle when it comes to generative AI features is getting them in front of as many users as possible – and building them into familiar devices such as smartphones became a key topic of the year when it came to rolling out new products.

Samsung was first out of the blocks in January, when it announced Galaxy AI, a new suite of tools built right into its new Galaxy S24 range of phones.

It included features which helped users edit and rewrite text depending on a theme or mood they wanted to strike, as well as AI tools to edit photos, transcribe and translate audio or phone calls, and a Google-powered tool that allowed users to carry out a Google search simply by drawing a circle around an object on their screen.

By the summer, Samsung had also expanded the tools to its new line-up of foldable devices, and enhanced and expanded on the AI tools available.

It appeared to have the desired effect, as towards the end of the year, the Korean phone maker reported that in the UK it had seen a more than 40% rise in customers switching to Samsung devices from Apple’s iPhone since it had unveiled Galaxy AI.

At that point, Apple was still to launch its AI tools in the UK.

Seeking to get ahead of rivals when it comes to rolling out generative AI features was to be a theme of 2024, as Google brought forward the launch of its flagship Pixel 9 series phones from its traditional September or October slot to August, a move analysts said was a clear attempt to get its new AI-powered devices in consumers’ hands before Apple would unveil the iPhone 16 range, complete its Apple Intelligence AI tools, in September.

Google’s pitch to users when it comes to AI has been built around its new AI chatbot, Gemini, which it placed front and centre when announcing its new flagship phones in August.

The tech giant spoke of how the new chips powering its phones had been developed with Google-owned, London-based DeepMind, one of the leading AI firms in this tech boom. And it meant Google’s devices could run powerful AI models that would make its assistant more helpful to users, it can tune into Google’s search engine to help quickly access information.

These clear statements from two of Apple’s biggest rivals meant there was a huge focus on the iPhone maker and how it would choose to approach the rise of generative AI.

In June, the company previewed what was to come, a suite of tools it called Apple Intelligence which, much like Samsung and Google before them, would use generative AI to help users edit text, transcribe conversations, and edit photos or generate new images, as well organise and summarise notifications.

Apple Intelligence would also see Apple’s existing virtual assistant, Siri, given a substantial revamp to make it smarter and more able to understand context.

But perhaps the most striking part of Apple’s approach has been its decision to partner with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT integration directly into people’s devices, to help process queries it judges are better suited to the chatbot’s skillset.

At a time of heightened sensitivity around privacy and data protection, Apple has also placed huge focus on a feature it calls Private Cloud Compute, which enables a device using Apple Intelligence to send particularly complex user queries off-device, but to a secure server where the data involved can not be accessed by anyone and is not kept or saved once the query is answered.

In further contrast to its rivals, Apple has so far taken a slower, more measured approach to rolling out its AI tools – they are currently available in fewer countries than its rivals, something the tech giant said is a deliberately steady rollout as it refines its new technology.

It means that as we approach the end of the year, the three biggest smartphone brands all now have flagship AI tools in place, exposing more people than ever to this emerging technology.

It is an approach that already appears to be influencing AI developers too.

In December, OpenAI launched a version of ChatGPT which can be accessed through WhatsApp, meaning anyone, anywhere in the world, could sample the AI chatbot, without needing to download the app or create an OpenAI account.

It therefore seems likely that in 2025, if you have not yet had hands-on time with a generative AI tool, you soon will on a device you already use.