{
  "id": 9312464,
  "title": "From apps to AI agents: Qualcomm exec on the next shift in consumer tech",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/from-apps-to-ai-agents-qualcomm-exec-on-the-next-shift-in-consumer",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-23T10:05:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/from-apps-to-ai-agents-qualcomm-exec-on-the-next-shift-in-consumer-tech-10890569/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In recent months, many believed consumers were not interested in AI, despite Silicon Valley's strong push. However, it appears that perception has shifted. Tech companies are now acknowledging that they may have discovered a consumer use case for AI agents - autonomous software systems capable of taking actions on a user's behalf without the need to open an app. Notable examples include Meta's Muse Agent, which topped Apple's App Store within two weeks of its release, and Google's Gemini AI assistant, which has reached 1 billion monthly active users with a sevenfold increase in token usage year over year.\n\nDurga Malladi, EVP and GM of Technology Planning, Edge Solutions & Data Center at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., believes that agentic AI is here to stay. He explained that when consumers interact with devices, they prefer direct interaction with an agent rather than navigating through numerous apps. Meanwhile, Qualcomm announced its Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chips, which are designed with agentic AI in mind.\n\nThe transition from apps to agents has been gradual in the enterprise sector, where AI agents have been used for customer service, code writing, and data analysis. However, the early success of Meta's Muse Agent and Google's Gemini app indicates that consumer adoption of AI agents is also on the rise. This shift in consumer behavior will necessitate the development of chipsets capable of handling the computational demands of agentic AI, as well as supporting personalized AI that can understand user context, retain information from conversations, and learn from user interactions. As AI becomes more deeply integrated into everyday life, devices like Qualcomm's Honor Robot Phone hint at a future where users rely less on app-based interfaces and more on direct interaction with AI agents.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}