Huawei Mobile recently teased an announcement related to its artificial intelligence (AI) efforts that will reportedly be made at this year’s iteration of IFA Berlin that’s scheduled to start on September 1. The Chinese original equipment manufacturer (OEM) took to Twitter last week to share an image that can be seen above, trying to prompt a general discussion on AI and encouraging users to share their own views and experiences related to this emerging technology by asking them to explain what AI means to them. The image itself states that AI is “more than just a voice assistant,” indicating that the company’s possible IFA Berlin announcement may not be related to digital companions and the tech giant won’t introduce a competitor to the likes of the Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa.
Another possibility is that Huawei is, in fact, working on an AI service but intends to market it as more than just a limited assistant capable of scheduling appointments, setting alarms, and accomplishing other mundane tasks. If the firm is working on such a solution, it may announce it alongside a new device and detail plans to distribute it to its previously released offerings in the coming months. While the Shenzhen, China-based consumer electronics manufacturer is currently preparing for the launch of the high-end Mate 10 that it already started teasing in recent weeks, it’s unlikely that the flagship will be revealed at the latest iteration of IFA seeing how its predecessor was only officially announced last November.
The tech giant published its consolidated financial results for the first half of the year last week, indicating that its business is still growing, largely thanks to its consumer electronics unit. Many industry analysts expect the company to maintain its promising performance in the coming years, though it’s still unclear how AI will fit into Huawei’s overall business strategy. This particular market segment is currently dominated by Google in the mobile space and Amazon in the overall Internet of Things (IoT) sector and as it still isn’t experiencing surging adoption rates, it remains to be seen whether there’s enough room in the industry for another major actor.
Written By Dominik Bosnjak – Android Headline