Summary of the Analysis
This report from Huxiu directly challenges the widespread anxiety over the past two years that AI is about to take away jobs from ordinary people. It presents a counterintuitive conclusion that many have experienced but not yet realized: Since the implementation of AI technology, the first negative impact on everyday life has not been unemployment, but rather the overwhelming consumption of mobile phone storage space. Starting from the second half of 2023, almost all major smartphone manufacturers and leading internet apps have been aggressively adding various local AI features to their products. As a result, phones that used to have 128GB of memory and last for two to three years now have less than one-third of that space left after installing common apps. Users are forced to either delete photos and clear caches daily or spend hundreds or even thousands of yuan on devices with more memory. The first commercial benefit of AI has thus come from “making money by exploiting users’ memory.”
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Detailed Explanation
1. The First Counterintuitive Fact: AI’s First Impact on Memory, Not Jobs
The AI news we’ve seen over the past two years has focused on topics like “AI replacing copywriters” and “AI replacing designers,” which has caused concern about job losses. However, when AI becomes widely available, the first problem people face is not unemployment, but a lack of storage space on their phones. For example, a travel photo taken last week might prompt a warning that “memory is less than 10%” immediately after being saved.
Many people have noticed this: A 128GB phone bought three years ago, with apps like WeChat and Douyin and thousands of photos, still had 30GB of free space. Now, a new 128GB phone with the same specifications only has about 20GB left after installing essential apps, and just a few days of using WeChat and shooting videos can quickly deplete the memory. The fear of AI taking jobs remains in the news, while the reality of AI consuming memory is already a reality for everyone.
2. Why Does AI Consume So Much Memory?
The reason is that AI models now prefer to run on users’ phones rather than on remote servers. Previously, apps only used a few GB of memory, but now AI processes are performed locally on the phone. This leads to several issues: privacy concerns with data transmission to servers, high costs for manufacturers due to heavy usage, and slow performance due to internet latency. To avoid these problems, manufacturers install small AI models on phones, each occupying 5-15GB of space. These models perform tasks like photo editing and text recognition, effectively using up significant amounts of memory.
3. The Entire Industry Conspires to Profit from Increased Memory Prices
New phones released after 2024 typically come with at least 256GB of memory, with a price difference of 500-800 yuan between 256GB and 512GB models. However, the cost of a 256GB memory chip is only slightly higher than that of a 128GB one. The extra cost is essentially a profit margin for manufacturers under the guise of AI. Many apps also silently install additional AI models in updates, increasing the phone’s memory usage without being noticeable to users.
4. Further Consequences: Higher Costs and Reduced Device Usage
Manufacturers are using AI as a pretext to charge more for larger memory. They claim “memory fusion technology” allows more apps to run, but in reality, this means less space is available for users’ own data. They may also offer subscription services for AI features or require users to upload old photos and videos to cloud storage, charging for those services. As a result, users end up paying more for phones and additional services to accommodate AI.
5. The Real Cost of AI
The initial concern about AI taking jobs was misplaced; the real cost of AI is being borne by consumers. Not only do we face potential job losses, but we’re also paying for the additional hardware costs associated with AI. This trend will extend to computers, smart TVs, refrigerators, and cameras, all of which will require more memory and higher prices. In short, manufacturers avoid bearing the development costs of AI and shift them to consumers, making it impossible to find products without AI features.
In summary, while the fear of AI taking jobs was unfounded, consumers are already paying for the hardware costs associated with it. The true impact of AI is the increased cost of technology that affects everyone’s daily lives.