How on-device AI could shake up the phone app business

The arrival of on-device artificial intelligence could radically reshape the app/app-store model that has ruled the tech industry in the smartphone era. Traditionally, Apple and Google have dominated the mobile era by controlling the two major smartphone ecosystems and their associated app stores. But Qualcomm recently announced it is bringing the next generation of its Oryon chip to the smartphone—basically, putting the full power of a PC processor inside a phone. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon said that he sees on-device AI fundamentally reshaping tech's competitive landscape. "It could change some of the established constructs that we have built in our heads about OSes and app stores," Amon said.