In his keynote session at MWC 2026 in Barcelona, the Qualcomm CEO mentioned 2026 goes to be the 12 months of brokers
In sum – what to know:
AI brokers – Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon predicts the shift from smartphone-centric apps to agent-centric interactions, the place autonomous AI methods observe, interpret, and act throughout a number of related units.
AI will drive main cellular site visitors progress – International mobile site visitors may develop three to seven occasions by 2034, with AI anticipated to account for roughly 30% of community site visitors.
6G is being positioned for AI workloads – Subsequent-generation wi-fi networks will want decrease latency, greater capability, and edge computing integration to help real-time AI providers and large volumes of contextual information, in line with Qualcomm.
At Cellular World Congress 2026 in Barcelona, the president and CEO of Qualcomm Cristiano Amonm argued that the following era of wi-fi know-how shall be formed primarily by the rise of synthetic intelligence (AI) and the emergence of AI brokers able to performing autonomously throughout units.
In his keynote session on the occasion, Amon famous that the transition from right this moment’s app-driven cellular ecosystem towards an agent-centric mannequin would require a brand new era of connectivity designed particularly for AI-driven interactions.
“And once we take into consideration what we’re doing subsequent, 6G additionally has a mission, like each era earlier than,” the CEO of Qualcomm mentioned. “The mission of 6G goes to be the wi-fi know-how for the age of AI and for AI all over the place.”
AI methods are already starting to alter how folks work together with computer systems, he famous, shifting interfaces towards pure language, voice, and contextual consciousness. This transformation is anticipated to speed up as AI brokers turn out to be the first interface between customers and digital providers.
“2026 goes to be the 12 months of brokers,” Amon mentioned. “The agent turns into the middle. They don’t solely reply to you. They observe, they interpret, they act.”
On this mannequin, digital assistants evolve into persistent brokers that function throughout a number of units and environments, reasonably than being confined to a single smartphone software, in line with the Qualcomm govt.
For a number of years, the smartphone has served because the central hub of the cellular ecosystem, with different units extending its capabilities. Amon urged that this structure will change as AI brokers turn out to be able to managing interactions throughout a number of related units concurrently.
These brokers would require steady context a couple of consumer’s atmosphere, location, and exercise. That context will more and more be captured by units working on the community edge, together with wearables, sensible glasses, automobiles, and industrial methods.
The shift towards AI-driven experiences can even generate far bigger volumes of knowledge than right this moment’s purposes. As customers work together with AI methods via voice, pictures, and real-time environmental inputs, units will repeatedly acquire and course of info.
“The sting generates plenty of information,” the Qualcomm govt mentioned. “You’ll generate a large quantity of knowledge as a result of you will begin to work together with the pc the way in which we work together with one another.”
This information shouldn’t be solely vital for delivering personalised AI experiences but additionally for coaching and refining AI fashions. A lot of right this moment’s AI coaching depends on publicly obtainable web information, however future methods will more and more incorporate contextual information generated instantly by customers and units.
That dynamic, Amon argued, reinforces the significance of next-generation connectivity. AI-driven purposes would require decrease latency, higher bandwidth, and improved community intelligence to help real-time interactions and large-scale information flows between units, edge infrastructure, and cloud methods.
For the telecom trade, the shift towards AI brokers and edge-generated information may redefine the function of wi-fi networks, positioning future 6G infrastructure as a foundational platform for the following wave of clever digital providers, the chief mentioned.
“When you really imagine within the AI revolution, 6G shall be required,” he added.
