Nokia to launch its own AI assistant at MWC; How will it be different?

Besides the anticipated flagship reveals (we’re excited for the Honor Magic 6 Pro and the Xiaomi 14 Ultra to go global), this year’s MWC (Mobile World Congress) has another surprise in store.

Nokia has something new in store – and no, it’s not another easily-repairable handset like the Nokia G22 (which recently got a new So Peach color option). Instead, the legendary Finnish company will be unveiling its own AI assistant. Before you roll your eyes and say “meh,” let me clarify: this isn’t Nokia’s version of Google’s Gemini or any of the other popular AI assistants out there.

According to Reuters, Nokia’s AI-powered tool creates messages for industrial workers, like alerts about faulty machinery using real-time data, and even suggests ways to increase factory output.

The tool is named “MX Workmate” and will build on Nokia’s current communications technology used by industrial clients. It’ll use generative AI large language models (LLMs) to write text that sounds human-like, the company explained in a statement.

The first version of the tool will be showcased at the upcoming MWC at the end of February in Barcelona. Some parts of the AI assistant are still being researched, as the developers want to make sure the tool doesn’t fall into AI hallucination – that’s when the AI gives a convincing but entirely fabricated answer.

“The tool needs to be accurate, clear and right. And it needs to be traceable and moderated”, Stephane Daeuble, Head of Enterprise Solutions Marketing at Nokia, explained. He mentioned there would be initial safeguards, like having a person check the AI prompts.

Nokia already provides 4G and 5G tech for in-house communications, which helps industrial companies link up with data from machine sensors. “Now the idea is we have an assistant that’s there to help the worker make sense of all this data”, Daeuble said.