A quarter of smartphone users don’t find AI useful to them

An estimated quarter of smartphone users do not find AI features helpful for them, although tech giants are pouring billions of dollars into the technology, a recent survey has revealed.

Smartphone makers like Samsung, Apple, Google, and Huawei have placed significant emphasis on upgrading devices to integrate them with the fast-growing AI technologies to enhance their capabilities and user experience.

Smartphone users are concerned about privacy

Despite efforts to improve mobile phone devices with AI capabilities, users of those devices are not motivated by the technology for various reasons. According to a recent survey by CNET, only 18% would upgrade their smartphones motivated by AI technology.

The study shows that most users—61%—are motivated to upgrade their smartphones to enjoy longer battery life, not AI capabilities. Others want more storage—46%—while 38% said they want better camera features.

About a third of the respondents expressed concerns over privacy issues regarding AI usage on their smartphones. According to the study, 34% of users fagged their unease at AI on their smartphones due to data privacy concerns.

However, tech firms have also placed emphasis on privacy considerations during AI-focused keynotes. For instance, at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Apple noted that many of its AI models run on-device, which is generally regarded more private because information does not have to travel over the internet.

According to the tech giant, when a task needs more computational power, only relevant data will be relayed to Apple Silicon servers. The tech giant added that the data will not be stored or accessible to Apple.

Tech firms continue to integrate AI on smartphones

While AI ranks among the last reasons for smartphone users to upgrade, tech giants are not backing down on their plans to enhance AI capabilities on these devices.

For instance, Apple is anticipated to announce its iPhone 16 featuring the company’s Apple Intelligence suite of AI features. These features will include AI-powered tools like ChatGPT as well as a smarter Siri.

Last month, Google leaned heavily on AI features when it showed off its Pixel 9, while Samsung also touted Galaxy AI that can simplify tasks like translating messages and editing images.

As these tech firms continue to invest into AI, consumers may soon have to pay for these AI capabilities, according to CNET.

For instance, Samsung website points out that Galaxy AI features “will be provided for free until the end of 2025 on supported Samsung Galaxy devices.”

But, it’s not just Samsung alone that may demand a fee from customers. For customers to use Gemini’s power across Google’s apps, they will need to subscribe to Gemini Advanced. According to CNET, it is highly likely that Apple may also charge for some of its AI-powered iPhone features.

However, many consumers aren’t sold, according to CNET. The study shows that nearly half of smartphone users are not willing to pay extra charges to access AI on their smartphones.

Another CNET survey from April shows that adults in the US spend an average of $91 on subscription services every month. This comes as about two-thirds of the users indicated that at least one of their subscriptions got more expensive within the past year.

Adding another subscription might not be enticing for a market that is already “subscription fatigued.”