Smart speakers, other AI-enabled devices poised to become the Next Big Thing in China
Demand in China has the potential of growing rapidly on the back of the major internet companies’ ecosystem of services and as the nation’s online population further expands
China, already the world’s biggest smartphone and internet market, appears set to become a major consumer of a range of gadgets enabled with artificial intelligence (AI), including voice-activated smart speakers and robots for the home, according to a new study.
Interest in such AI devices was found to be the strongest among consumers in emerging economies Brazil and China, according to this year’s Global Consumer Insights survey by professional services company PwC.
It found Brazilian and Chinese consumers were twice as likely to plan buying an AI device – 59 per cent and 52 per cent, respectively – as their American, British or French peers, with interest at 25 per cent, 24 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively.
The annual survey, which assesses the shopping behaviour, habits and expectations of more than 22,000 consumers in 27 countries, found that 21 per cent of respondents in China already owned AI-enabled devices, such as the automated personal assistants that come in the form of smart speakers.
Across all markets surveyed, early adopters of AI devices tend to be men, aged 18-34, according to PwC.
“AI is moving very rapidly into the consumer and retail sectors,” John Maxwell, the global consumer markets leader at PwC, said in a statement. “Within two to three years, AI could revolutionise how companies profile, segment and serve customers.”