AI phones get set for smart revolution

Models that run on-device LLMs generate interest among consumers, phone makers

Zhang Wentao, a Beijing-based bank employee, is happy with an upgraded artificial intelligence (AI) assistant in his Huawei smartphone, as it can easily translate a 3,000-word English news report into Chinese, write a summary and provide relevant data to help him understand the article quickly.

Celia, the voice-activated assistant from Huawei, has become smarter thanks to the smartphone maker's self-developed large language model, a key technology that enables computers to perform multiple tasks such as writing essays, sketching out business plans and creating videos.

"Celia can not only understand my instructions but assist me in copywriting, and in providing personalized suggestions and recommendations," said Zhang, who has participated in public tests on the upgraded Celia version.