AI-Powered Smartphones Are Changing the Way Consumers Live in the Digital World

Some, like Google's recently released Pixel 8 smartphones, now include advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) features, allowing users to summarize web pages, measure body temperatures, or process more data directly on the device itself and in the cloud .

The tech giant also launched the Google Pixel Watch 2, an upgrade over its first smartwatch released in 2022 alongside smartphones, further demonstrating the increased capabilities of these wearables.

Priced at around $350, the new smartwatch has AI-powered health monitoring features, including a sensor that can identify potential indicators of stress using a machine learning algorithm that affects heart rate, heart rate variability, and skin temperature. This comes at a time when consumers are more conscious of their physical and mental health and are proactively taking steps to improve their overall well-being.

Overall, PYMNTS Intelligence data shows that the average consumer owns six of these connected devices, and that number varies across demographic groups.

Millennials and bridge millennials tend to be the most connected, owning an average of seven devices. The number of devices owned also increases with income, with higher-income consumers owning seven devices compared to the four owned by lower-income individuals.

Drilling down into the data shows that while smartphones remain the most common device, smartwatches are growing in popularity among millennials and bridge millennials, displacing voice-controlled assistants as the sixth most commonly owned device among this demographic.

“More consumers now own a smartwatch than in 2020 or 2019, when 33% and 19% of the population owned them, respectively,” the study said.

Additionally, the study highlighted an increase in ownership of smart home devices, such as smart refrigerators, with 9% of consumers now owning them, up from 5% in 2019. Similarly, ownership of thermostats has increased, with 15% of consumers currently owning a thermostat, compared to 10% in 2019.

Thanks to access to these ever-evolving connected devices and applications, today's consumer is very connected and has the ability to multitask and use their time in previously unheard of ways.

As PYMNTS CEO Karen Webster noted in a recent article, “weekends and weekdays now look the same [for a connected American consumer in 2023] as apps and smartphones eliminate the constraints once imposed by the physical world.”

For example, he pointed out how the traditional Saturday trip to the grocery store has evolved by using apps, saved shopping lists, and aggregators to conveniently deliver groceries at any time throughout the week"—and purchase items while watching your favorite movie, while waiting at the doctor's office for an appointment, or on the plane ride home before takeoff." receipt."

This model also extends to retail shopping. Connected devices and apps give consumers more time-saving options and flexibility, like measuring how clothing fits or how furniture complements a room before committing to a purchase, all while performing other tasks.

Looking ahead, the potential for advanced technologies to redefine the landscape of connected device ownership and access holds great promise. Generative AI, for example, is paving the way for a future where the boundaries between physical and digital spheres continue to blur, ultimately transforming the way consumers live, work, and interact with the world.

As Webster writes, “the next generation of more technologically advanced connected devices and emerging technologies such as generative AI will make this connected multitasking an embedded part of the consumer's daily routine: more integrated, easier, smarter, and more personalized.”