By Nermeen Nabil Khear 
Chinese smartphone manufacturers intend to replace manual app navigation with hands-free, seamless operations that use AI models. This technology promises unmatched ease, but it raises questions about user control over devices and apps.
Local players like Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo, and Honor are involved in this agenda. Honor’s tagline, “The more AI, the more it understands you,” captures both the potential and risk of this transformation.
This is the danger: if AI-driven decision-making is based on personal data collected without explicit consent, it becomes less about enhancing user experience and more about intrusive surveillance.
Apparently, during the October 2024 launch of Magic 7, CEO George Zhao used the phone to order 2,000 cups of coffee live on stage without requiring a single tap. The audience was awestruck, but questions persisted: How did the tech know Zhao’s preferences, select the application, and authorize payment?
This remarkable demonstration of convenience prompts a confrontation of a critical problem: To what extent does this innovation compromise user autonomy and privacy? George Zhao’s live performance could only have been possible if the phone accessed private data to follow commands. What is more important to users, convenience or privacy?
How far does the risk of privacy invasion go?
An examination of Magic 7 demonstrated that it exploits Android’s accessibility permissions. This feature is intended to assist users with disabilities. Honor and certain other Chinese technology firms obtain access to sensitive user data in ways that are both opaque and unregulated by bypassing traditional consent processes.
AI-driven decision-making could be readily weaponized if the phones end up in the wrong hands. Secondly, hackers could exploit these systems to gain access to users’ financial data, messages, and even private photographs. The convenience of the intelligence tech risks becoming an instrument for surveillance and control if there are no robust safeguards in place.
The implications could not be more serious. If left unchecked, the current trajectory may lead to a future where cell phones not only serve their users but also monitor, manage, and commercialize their actions without their knowledge.
Notably, the challenge for both manufacturers and regulators is to balance responsibility with innovation. The question is not whether AI will dominate our devices; it already does. Still, the potential of devices that are powered by the intelligence tech is undeniable. These devices have the capacity to revolutionize lives by simplifying daily duties and improving accessibility.
Meanwhile, Apple introduced Apple Intelligence in June 2024, an on-device AI system that transformed Siri into a more intuitive assistant. Nevertheless, Apple’s “revolutionary” action in China failed to generate a significant impact.
What does the law say about privacy invasions?
Privacy invasions are not lawful. In fact, in 2021, Chinese app developers were subjected to legal action. They were accused of developing tools that exploited permissions to intercept digital transactions.
In addition, during Lunar New Year celebrations, applications such as Red Packet Hunter automatically intercepted WeChat red envelopes. The developers were issued fines and even prison sentences after the court determined that these actions violated competition laws.
Also, unlike Chinese firms that have accepted these risks as part of the creative process, Western competitors tread carefully. For instance, Microsoft encountered criticism for its Recall feature earlier this year. This is because it uses periodic screenshots to evaluate user behavior and recommend actions.
Critics compared the feature to an Orwellian nightmare, prompting tech leaders such as Elon Musk to call for its removal. Cybersecurity professionals cautioned that these capabilities could be exploited to facilitate surveillance.
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This articles is written by : Nermeen Nabil Khear Abdelmalak
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