One of the most widely used terms around technology in recent years is Artificial Intelligence or AI. The word AI gets thrown around every now and then especially at smartphone launches and other tech events. This is mainly because AI has made its way into our lives in more than just one way. Right from clicking a good picture on your phone to suppressing background noise while you're in an online meeting, AI plays a major role in improving the end-user experience.

To understand more about AI and its influence on mobile technology, XDA's sister site Pocketnow had a detailed conversation with Qualcomm. While you can watch the video linked below detailing all the important aspects or even listen to the podcast episode for a deeper dive, here are some key takeaways from the conversation.

A small example of what difference AI has made in the smartphone world can be determined by looking at the evolution of phone cameras. A few years back, a larger megapixel count is what brands were chasing after to lure consumers into believing that their phone clicked good pictures. While that trend has sort of resurfaced with 48, 64, and even 108MP cameras in recent times, a lot of flagship phones still rely on software optimization and processing in order to capture good quality photos.

The reason why a 12MP sensor today can click better pictures than a 40MP sensor on a Nokia Lumia back in the day is due to the superior software processing algorithms and ISPs present on modern-day chipsets like the Snapdragon 888 Plus. In fact, the Snapdragon 888 Plus is touted to be one of the most powerful chipsets with the ability to capture up to 120 images of 12MP resolution each in just one second.

Snapdragon 888 Plus Artificial Intelligence

Right from semantic segmentation for portrait mode photos to detecting and optimizing a scene, AI is what's responsible for it. If you're wondering whether AI helps only with photography, well, that's not true. As mentioned earlier, AI contributes towards improving the user experience when using multiple different aspects of your phone. Your social media filters rely on AI to properly detect your face and then apply the relevant filters or stickers on top. Qualcomm has something known as the Sensing Hub at the core of its chipsets which can continuously determine what environment you are in and adapt accordingly.

When you've left your phone next to a child, the phone can detect if the child is crying and alert you, a feature that can be immensely useful for parents. Then there's the ability to translate spoken sentences in real-time, optimizing charging based on your usage habits to extend the lifespan of the battery, switching supported apps like Spotify to the driving mode when the phone detects that you're behind the wheel, etc. These small, but effective features kick in thanks to Artificial Intelligence.

https://omny.fm/shows/pocketnow-weekly-podcast/an-interview-with-qualcomm-about-ai-ziad-asghar-vp/embed

There's much more to AI than what meets the eye. All of these processes happen internally at insanely quick speeds and they just make our lives much easier. If you want to know more about how Qualcomm implements its AI algorithms and all the different use-cases and nuances, we urge you to check out the video or the podcast for a better understanding of the subject.


We thank Qualcomm for sponsoring XDA's sister site, Pocketnow. Our sponsors help us pay for the many costs associated with running XDA and Pocketnow, including server costs, full-time developers, news writers, and much more.