Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a central selling point for smartphone brands like Apple, Samsung, and Google, all touting AI-powered features in their latest devices. However, a recent survey reveals that despite the tech industry’s heavy emphasis on AI, most consumers don’t find these features particularly useful.
Do Consumers Really Want AI?
A survey conducted by SellCell, a platform specializing in tech gadgets, shows that while companies promote AI as a game-changer, users are not convinced. The survey found that 73% of iPhone users feel that the Apple Intelligence features don’t add much value to their devices. Samsung Galaxy users were even more critical, with 86% reporting similar feelings toward the AI tools available on their smartphones.
Interestingly, while 47.6% of iPhone buyers considered AI features an important factor when choosing a new phone, only 23.7% of Samsung users felt the same way. This suggests that even though AI is marketed as a key selling point, many users remain unconvinced about its worth.
iPhone Users Not Sold on Apple Intelligence
Apple introduced its Apple Intelligence suite in October with the release of iOS 18.1, followed by additional features in iOS 18.2. However, many iPhone users appear indifferent to these updates. The survey found that 58% of iPhone owners have not yet explored any of the Apple Intelligence tools.
Among those who have used the features, the most popular include writing assistance (72%), notification summaries (54%), and prioritizing messages (44.5%). On the other hand, the AI-enhanced Siri virtual assistant saw minimal use, with only 3.1% of respondents utilizing its capabilities.
When asked why they didn’t engage with AI features, users provided several reasons:
– Outdated software: 57.6% had not updated to the latest version of iOS.
– Lack of utility: 36.7% didn’t find the AI tools helpful.
– Accuracy issues: 18.2% believed the tools weren’t reliable.
Samsung Users Share Similar Discontent
Samsung Galaxy owners are also not enamored with the AI features available on their phones. More than half (53.1%) of users reported not using any of the AI tools. The most commonly used features were Circle to Search (82.1%), photo editing suggestions (55.5%), and chat assistance (28.8%).
In contrast, features like real-time translations and interpreter mode were virtually unused, with adoption rates of just 1.1% and 1.3%, respectively.
Samsung users echoed similar concerns to iPhone users about the AI tools:
– Lack of usefulness: 44.2% felt the features didn’t add value.
– Inaccuracy: 35.5% questioned the reliability of the AI tools.
– Privacy concerns: 30.1% worried about potential data security risks.
Can New Features Win Over Skeptics?
The survey, which polled around 1,000 users each of iPhones with Apple Intelligence and Galaxy smartphones with AI capabilities, was conducted before Apple’s release of iOS 18.2, which introduced new features such as Genmoji and ChatGPT integration.
Genmoji allows users to generate personalized emojis by describing them in the emoji keyboard, while ChatGPT integration lets users route certain queries to ChatGPT via Siri. These new updates aim to make AI tools more engaging and practical. Whether they will convince skeptical users remains uncertain.
AI-Generated Errors Stir Controversy
Despite the promise of AI, the technology has its flaws. A recent incident involving Apple Intelligence highlighted the risks of relying on AI-generated content. The system produced a false headline about a murder suspect, Luigi Mangione, falsely claiming that he had shot himself. The inaccurate story, which appeared on iPhones, led to a complaint from the BBC, the source cited in the summary.
A BBC insider criticized the error, expressing concerns about the reliability of AI-generated news. “This caused some jitters and reinforced the idea that AI-generated products might not be well-suited for news,” the source stated.
