Whether we like it or not, artificial intelligence is here to stay and it is so fashionable that we will even find it in our soup. Of course, phones are no exception: the Google Pixel 8 or the Samsung Galaxy S24 are among the best Android phones of the year and they have AI as one of its greatest demands.
They are among the first, but they will not be the last: other brands in the ecosystem like Honor and its Magic6 Pro or the generative AI of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra are other alternatives to make the smartphone even smarter. And apart from Android, Apple is also expected to take a step forward.
We’ve officially entered this interesting initial phase of growth, with manufacturers offering the best of this tool for us to learn how to use, discover everything we can do, and there comes a time when we think about it. so essential that we are even able to pay for AI.
AI is as wonderful as it is expensive and the bills have to come from somewhere
It is clear that some AI features will become premium sooner or later. In fact, it’s not even a secret: Samsung has already explained that the Galaxy AI will be free until 2025. Hence many unknowns: will it be all or just a few? What about other common apps on other Androids, like Rodea, to look for? As for the payment method, the normal thing is that instead of a one-time payment it is a subscription.
Google already charges in a certain way for some of its AI functions, this is the case for Video Boost, present only in its most ambitious model, the Google Pixel 8 Pro. Because behind this surprising and almost “magical” artificial intelligence there are many expenses behind it and in one way or another you have to pay for cloud processing and subscribing seems like the most logical way to do it.
The future is marked by its flagship AI tool, Google Gemini: if the conversational assistant is free, the advanced version has a modest price of 21.99 dollars/month and the Google One Premium subscription with AI is integrated. This plan offers 2 TB of storage and advanced features such as “Help me write”, for writing emails in Gmail or SMS messages in Google’s office suite.
Looking for a balance between investment and return
If we take into account that the Google One Premium plan simply with identical storage costs 9.99 dollars, then the account is simple: 11.99 dollars/month is the price that Google puts on its AI. It’s not a waste, but it’s certainly a lot of money if you just want him to write a few emails. Because ultimately the key is in you These subscriptions to use artificial intelligence are worth it every day, just like the other subscriptions we already pay for. Will improved search or text editing be sufficient arguments?
However, the case of Google is of his kind. The Mountain View company has a huge ecosystem that takes on a tangible form and has a multi-device: photos, videos, documents, messages, emails, mailings, where this one is available and has a privileged position to download a subscription with IA that I have here. penalty. In this hypothetical scenario, Apple would have a similar role. Other manufacturers like Samsung would have a harder time justifying this price, but ranges are already being established within which to operate.
But the numbers we are talking about and at the same time the stagnation that has occurred at the material level and the search for a longer term experience put on the table the idea of the smartphone as a service. Or what is the same thing: would you rather spend a thousand dollars to buy a mobile phone then pay a subscription to use tools with AI or pay a certain amount per month to have everything? The key is that artificial intelligence becomes indispensable.
Faced with this scenario, another possibility: that of run AI locallywhich results in reduced server costs and greater control on the part of users, but there are limitations here at the hardware level as well as in the AI processing models themselves.
Beyond the technical challenges and the search for profitability, there is also a relationship of trust and penetration in a market with atrocious competition: Offering additional premium services is one thing, advertising works as a lure to sell phones and then converting them into paid features is another.
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