I am beginning to fear that Motorola has an AI downside

Motorola was nothing if not affected person earlier than including AI options to its Razr and Edge lineups. It sat by, letting Google and Samsung take the lead on issues like Circle to Search, picture turbines, and extra, earlier than including Gemini to the Razr (2024) sequence and beta testing Moto AI options on the finish of final yr.

Now, although, Motorola is all-in. It’s made options like Bear in mind This and Catch Me Up a part of the Razr’s Moto AI menu and made room for AI-powered assistants — oh, so many AI-powered assistants. The truth is, I’m beginning to fear that it’s going too far in the wrong way, placing AI over all the pieces else on its new Razrs, and right here’s why.

As of late, most telephones include one assistant onboard, possibly two. Google’s Pixels include Gemini, Apple’s iPhones include a slowly enhancing model of Siri, and Samsung’s Galaxy units use a barely complicated mixture of Bixby and Gemini. You possibly can set up others like ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Copilot, however they’re not the defaults.

With Motorola, nevertheless, there appears to be an concept that extra is best. Its Razr now lineup ships with Gemini set because the default assistant and Copilot, and, for the primary time, Perplexity is optimized for each the small, sq. cowl display and the interior show. There’s additionally Moto AI itself, which covers on a regular basis options just like the Picture Studio, Playlist Studio, and Pay Consideration, together with the Razr Extremely unique Look and Discuss — confused but? Yeah, identical.

In fact, you may additionally set up these assistants on different iPhones or Android units. You might put Perplexity in your Pixel or add Copilot to your Galaxy S25 Extremely. Nonetheless, if you happen to’re doing so, it’s most likely as a result of you have already got a base familiarity with one platform or one other — you know the way you would possibly use it, so that you’re including it to your cellphone. With Motorola, all the pieces is already there proper out of the field, and you need to bump into it as you be taught your method round your Razr.

Sadly, relying on customers to stumble is the best strategy to make them journey and fall and never need to use options altogether. Suppose you’ve got the choice of both relying on Perplexity to do your deep analysis or Gemini, and solely the latter could make an simply digestible AI-generated podcast by way of NotebookLM. In that case, you may not know which assistant to choose. Likewise, you may be extra snug utilizing Gemini Dwell, however then discover that your Razr Extremely needs to push you in the direction of Copilot for productivity-minded duties.

Worse, while you’re able to wind down with a curated playlist, you’ll uncover that Moto AI will solely allow you to port from the Playlist Studio to Amazon Music quite than YouTube Music or Spotify. Why’s that an issue? Effectively, YouTube Music comes preinstalled on most Android telephones, and Spotify is Samsung’s Galaxy go-to, so embracing Amazon Music most likely means including one other subscription to an ever-growing, AI-fueled pile — except you already pay for Amazon Prime.

Whereas I’m barely involved about Motorola’s new overload of AI-powered options and assistants, there may be a silver lining — and sure, it’s one other AI characteristic. I do know it feels like combating hearth with hearth, however, in idea, Moto AI’s Subsequent Transfer ought to assist no less than information you from one piece of its AI puzzle to the subsequent, type of like Google Maps but when its solely job was that can assist you discover the distinction between Gemini, Perplexity, and Copilot. It ought to be capable of pick while you want artistic AI instruments and while you want analytical ones, after which comfortably level you in the precise path.

I’ll admit I haven’t given Subsequent Transfer a lot run but. I didn’t spend very lengthy with this yr’s Razr sequence earlier than its launch, nor had been all of Motorola’s demo models logged into the required Moto accounts to entry Moto AI. So, for now, I’ve to belief that Subsequent Transfer will know the distinction between once I want Gemini Dwell for fast solutions whereas I plan a weekend journey to Erie, Pennsylvania, to run a marathon, and once I want Perplexity to assist me pick and arrange journey to essentially the most iconic elements of the UTMB ultramarathon — in addition to what makes these segments really distinctive.

Then, there’s one other worry: What if Subsequent Transfer doesn’t work in addition to I hope it can? Sure, Motorola developed it for beta testers who stated they weren’t certain when to make use of sure AI options, however how nicely will it work for customers in that tough center floor? You realize, those like me who’ve a number of AI options that they know and love, however may not essentially belief multiple voice assistant at a time. I can’t assist however fear that Subsequent Transfer will really feel extra like a primary transfer, however in the end have me able to ditch different options and assistants earlier than I give them sufficient likelihood.

Perhaps I’m fallacious — possibly Motorola has found out simply the precise stability of AI assistants and options, and Subsequent Transfer will maintain me bouncing from one to the subsequent in a method I’ve by no means completed earlier than. However, for now, I’m apprehensive I’ll develop into overwhelmed by selection.