Xiaomi Digital Assistant Xiao Ai Detailed in New Video

Xiaomi on Monday posted its first-ever official English-subtitled video of its new Xiao Ai digital assistant, which first debuted at the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S launch event in China last month. While the video is in Mandarin and mostly has China-centric voice commands, the subtitles reveal that it could offer contextual responses much like Google Assistant, Apple's Siri, or even Samsung's Bixby for that matter. Exclusive to Xiaomi phones, Xiao Ai will be available on the Mi MIX 2S out-of-the-box.

According to the video posted on Xiaomi's YouTube channel, Xiao Ai digital assistant will use voice commands to control music playback, provide time and weather information, set alarms/ reminders, check temperature, update with traffic information, operate messaging apps like WeChat, and even control smart home gadgets such as the Mi Robot vacuum cleaner. Evidently, Xiao Ai will work like most other major AI-based digital assistants in the market.

Citing a Xiaomi spokesperson, The Verge reports that the digital assistant will be made available on other Xiaomi phones in future software updates, but that it won't be making its way to India or other regions outside of China in the near future.

Alongside the Mi MIX 2S, Xiaomi had also unveiled its latest AI-powered smart speaker at the launch event. The Mi AI Speaker Mini is priced at CNY 169 (roughly Rs. 1,700) and comes in a White colour variant. Controls are fairly simple; it has a navigation panel that contains buttons including Activate, Play, Pause, and Next. It is not yet confirmed whether this speaker will be powered by Xiao Ai or not.

Interestingly enough, Xiaomi had partnered with Microsoft back in February to develop AI-based smartphones and smart speakers. Both companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and are expected to announce products in the near future.