Jakarta, INTI - Artificial intelligence (AI) startup from China, StepFun, introduced a cellphone which is claimed to be the world's first agentic AI smartphone. The device was developed to carry out various tasks autonomously with AI agent.
The launch took place at an event in Shanghai on Monday, July 13. StepFun introduced StepX Neo, a smartphone that uses Step AOS operating system, a platform specifically designed for AI agents. The company also launched StepX, which is claimed to be the world's first AI terminal brand built natively based on a large language model (LLM).
Agentic AI as the Main Brain
Unlike regular smartphones, StepX Neo is designed with AI as the center of its operations. StepFun explained that the device can understand user requests, coordinate various services at once, and complete complex tasks automatically. The smartphone is also equipped with a personal AI assistant called Amoo, integrated with Step AOS.
StepFun also announced integration with several digital services in China, such as Alipay for payments, Trip.com for travel bookings, Didi Chuxing for online transportation services, and Meituan for various on-demand services. The integration allows Amoo to complete various cross-platform activities without user intervention.
This launch shows the increasingly fierce global competition in the AI industry. Many companies are now competing in the AI ecosystem to develop LLMs, operating systems, hardware, and other AI infrastructure.
AI Agents Require Its Own OS
Chairman of StepFun, Yin Qi, said AI agents require an operating system built from scratch, not simply adding AI features to an existing mobile platform. He believes that conventional smartphone operating systems were never designed to carry out tasks autonomously.
Yin Qi also said StepFun will not rely on conventional sources of income such as hardware sales, native application fees, or advertising. The company has not revealed a commercial launch schedule or price for StepX Neo and will continue to explore new monetization models for AI-native devices.
Conclusion
Chinese AI startup StepFun has introduced the StepX Neo, claimed as the world's first agentic AI smartphone. The phone is operated with the Step AOS operating system specifically designed for autonomous AI agents. The device features Amoo AI assistant, which is integrated with several Chinese digital services to automatically run tasks for users. The company is still exploring monetization models and has not yet announced pricing or a commercial launch schedule for the smartphone.
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