Don’t Rush to Switch to an “AI Phone”: When Efficiency Becomes a Trap, How Close Are We to Becoming “Useless Humans”?
Hello everyone, I’m your financial observer. Recently, there’s been big news in the tech world: the “DouBao Phone” jointly launched by Nubia and ByteDance has officially gone on sale. This isn’t just an ordinary phone; it’s labeled as an “AI phone,” and it seems that the number of pre-orders on JD.com has exceeded 370,000. Even the previous test versions were sold for thousands of yuan.
Many people have asked me: Is this the future? Do we really have to buy one?
As someone who deals with digital technologies regularly, after reading this sharp commentary from keso, I think we need to calm down and carefully analyze the situation. This isn’t just about a phone; it’s a reflection on our future lifestyle, privacy, and even the value of being human.
Below, I’ll break down the logic and concerns behind this AI phone craze from five different perspectives.
1. Why Are People Buying It So Quickly? Because We All Want to Be “Hands-off Managers”
First, we need to understand why so many people are so enthusiastic about this phone.
On the surface, it’s because it’s “new.” But the deeper reason is that it targets a common pain point for modern people: fatigue.
Today’s smartphones have so many functions that it’s overwhelming: watching videos, checking WeChat, grabbing red envelopes, searching for maps... Our fingers are constantly in motion, and our brains are always on standby. The “AI phone” promises a form of liberation.
Imagine this: you don’t have to manually open apps to compare prices; the AI can search the entire internet for the cheapest toilet paper for you. You don’t have to organize your schedule; the AI can arrange meetings and notify your colleagues. You don’t even have to buy tickets; the AI does it all in the background.
This is very tempting. We think that by handing over these trivial, repetitive, and low-value tasks to machines, we can free up our time and energy to do more “meaningful” things, like spending time with our families, contemplating life, or simply daydreaming.
Plain Language:
It’s like having a housekeeper who not only cooks and cleans but also manages your finances, communicates with your boss, and even helps you with dating. What people are really after is the ultimate laziness—no need to think or act.
2. The “Naked” Privacy: Does Your Phone Really Still Belong to You?
However, beauty often comes with a cost. keso raises a very sharp question: **Are you willing to hand over your phone, which contains all your private information, to AI to “manage”?
With traditional phones, you actively open apps and click buttons; the data you generate is yours.
But with AI phones, the logic changes. To make your life easier, AI needs to operate automatically on your phone.
This poses a significant security risk. The preview version last year used a technique similar to cheating in games, which Ma Huateng called a “cheating method.” Although the new version gives developers a 30-day refusal period, it still means that AI is bypassing you and directly controlling your digital life.
When you ask AI to automatically reply to emails, it reads all your email content. When you ask it to shop for you, it learns your shopping habits, payment passwords, and delivery addresses.
Plain Language:
It’s like having a personal butler who not only knows what you eat but also reads your diary, bank statements, and chat records. He even decides when you should sleep and wake up. While he’s serving you, your privacy is almost completely exposed. If the AI system is hacked or the manufacturer misuses the data, your digital identity is at risk.
3. The Trap of Efficiency: Do You Really Need to Be “Fast” at All Times?
We’re constantly taught that “efficiency is king,” but keso proposes an counterintuitive question: Do you really need to be more efficient everywhere?
We’re used to using AI to buy tickets, compare prices, and write code because these are tasks with clear answers and faster results are better.
But life isn’t just about tasks.
- When you argue with your girlfriend, can AI comfort her in a more sincere and accurate way? Or will it just spout nonsense, making you seem like a robot?
- When you communicate with your boss, can AI understand the subtle emotions and undertones of the situation?
- When you listen to music or admire a view, do you want AI to analyze the song’s structure, or do you prefer to immerse yourself in the experience?
If we let AI handle even simple things like eating, thinking, and emotional communication, what we gain is not freedom but alienation.
Plain Language:
It’s like going to a restaurant to enjoy the food and atmosphere, only to have the waiter (AI) feed you and tell you that this is the most efficient way, saving you the time of chewing. You save time, but you lose the taste and the pleasure of the experience. Life isn’t a assembly line; not everything is suitable for automation.
4. The Birth of “AI Illiterates”: When Thinking Becomes Outsourced, Can We Still Think?
This is the most concerning part of the article.
It cites a study on Chinese middle school students: using AI increased their grades by 18% and reduced the time they spent on homework. Sounds great, right?
But in closed-book exams, students who were used to AI scored 20% lower than those who didn’t use it.
Why? Because AI replaces the process of thinking.
When AI writes papers, makes PPTs, or writes code for you, you save time, but your brain atrophies. You no longer need to research, reason, or make mistakes. Over time, you lose the ability to solve problems independently.
Some companies in the U.S. are avoiding graduates who are “AI-native” because they find that these people lose their ability to think without AI, making them “AI illiterate.”
Plain Language:
It’s like using navigation apps. At first, you never get lost. But if you rely on them for ten years and then the app fails, or you’re in an area without signal, you can’t even tell which direction you’re in.
AI is a cane, not a leg. If you always rely on a cane to walk, your leg muscles atrophy. Once the cane breaks (e.g., the AI malfunctions, loses connection, or is restricted), you’re helpless.
5. The Ultimate Metaphor: Don’t Become the Fats on the “WALL·E”
Finally, keso cites a scene from the movie “WALL·E,” a metaphor for the AI era.
In the movie, humans become a pile of fat on a chair, relying on robots for everything, degenerating to a state of dependence.
This sounds like science fiction, but it’s happening:
- iQiyi has launched an “AI artist database,” where actors can be mass-produced.
- We let AI create content to fill our information streams.
- We let AI make decisions for us and express our emotions.
Keso’s warning is:
If you rush to switch to an AI phone, hoping it will keep you up with the trend, you might be pushing yourself towards that state of dependence.
“The reason I can’t live without AI is that AI can live without me.”
This sentence summarizes the article. AI is a tool, a servant. But if we get used to being served, arranged, and replaced, we go from being masters to burdens.
Plain Language:
Imagine your daily life is perfectly arranged by AI: when to wake up, what to eat, what news to watch, who to talk to, what to say. You’re relaxed, but are you still you? Are you a person with independent will, emotions, and creativity?
Or are you just a “data point” fed by AI algorithms, without a soul?
Conclusion and Advice
So, back to the original question: Do you need an AI phone?
My advice is to be cautious and use it moderately:
1. Use it wisely: For repetitive, low-value, standardized tasks, AI can improve efficiency. But for emotional communication, creative thinking, and complex decisions, retain human “clumsiness” and warmth.
2. Protect your privacy: Don’t give all your permissions to AI. Regularly review its activity logs to understand what data it’s accessing.
3. Think for yourself: Don’t rely solely on AI’s outputs. Think before using it and critically evaluate its results. Let AI be your “co-pilot,” not your “driver.”
4. **Be wary of becoming an “AI illiterate”: No matter how technology develops, the ability to think independently and solve problems is the most valuable skill in this era.
AI phones are a trend, but humans are the goal. Don’t let tools define your life.