Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon says artificial intelligence is set to change the way people use smartphones, even if the devices themselves are not going away.

Speaking to CNBC’s Arjun Kharpal on “The Tech Download,” Amon said phones will increasingly be operated by AI agents that can carry out tasks on behalf of users, from managing apps to interacting with services across the internet. He described agents as a major shift for the mobile industry, comparing their emergence to the rise of apps in the smartphone era.

Amon also said new categories of personal AI devices are beginning to take shape, including smart glasses, pins, pendants and other wearables. He said glasses are a natural fit for AI because they sit close to a user’s eyes, ears and mouth, allowing models to process what people see and hear in real time.

The Qualcomm chief also discussed what the shift means for the semiconductor industry, including the need for more powerful and efficient chips in phones, PCs, glasses, cars and other connected devices. He said AI is forcing a rethink of chip architecture as devices increasingly rely on a mix of CPUs, GPUs and neural processing units to run models across both the device and the cloud.

Amon also pointed to memory shortages and wider supply-chain constraints as key challenges for the industry, while arguing that the rise of AI devices could bring new players into consumer electronics.

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Mistral CEO Arthur Mensch joins CNBC’s Arjun Kharpal to discuss AI infrastructure, the race for computing power, and why access to AI “tokens” is becoming a strategic priority. He also shares his views on AI sovereignty, enterprise adoption, custom chips and the future of AGI.

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Two of Google DeepMind’s leaders—Dawn Bloxwich (Responsible Development & Innovation) and Tom Lue (VP, Frontier AI Global Affairs)—open the playbook on frontier safety and policy. Bloxwich explains how DeepMind blends structured evaluations with red‑teaming by experts and jailbreakers, and how its Frontier Safety Framework addresses severe risks (from CBRN and cyber to loss of control and socio‑affective concerns). Lue maps the regulatory landscape across the EU, US and Asia, arguing for harmonized standards that safeguard without stifling innovation. Together, they show what responsible development looks like before and after deployment—model cards, third‑party testing and the industry forums trying to align best practices.

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DeepMind COO Lila Ibrahim shares what’s working right now when AI meets the classroom. She explains how LearnLM has been infused into Gemini and why Guided Learning is designed to teach step‑by‑step rather than just “give the answer.” We discuss an early pilot in Northern Ireland where teachers reported saving ~10 hours per week, and why DeepMind is pushing a teacher‑led, responsibleapproach so students learn to use AI openly and well. Ibrahim also addresses risks (cheating, accuracy) and how modeling responsible usecan build confidence and equity for different learning needs.

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DeepMind’s co‑founder and CEO Demis Hassabis lays out a pragmatic path to AGI—why he still sees a 5–10 year window, what current models are missing (reasoning, planning, continual learning), and why world models will likely converge with today’s LLMs. He explains how DeepMind became Google’s “engine room” for AI, shipping Gemini advances across products, and why AI for science (from AlphaFold to materials and energy research) is the most exciting frontier. We also touch on compute, energy constraints, and how to scale without cutting corners on safety.

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Hosted by Arjun Kharpal in London and Steve Kovach in New York, The Tech Download cuts through the noise to unpack the technology stories that matter most — and what they mean for your money.

In Season One, we take you inside Google DeepMind, the brains behind the tech giant's artificial intelligence push. Hear from the people shaping the future of AI, including a one-on-one with co-founder and CEO Demis Hassabis. From breakthroughs in science to the societal impact of AI, we dive deep into the opportunities and risks behind what is likely to be the most transformative technology of our time.

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Indonesian fintech unicorn Xendit is helping reshape Southeast Asia’s payment landscape by offering Stripe-like infrastructure tailored to the region’s unique challenges. In this episode of CNBC's "Beyond the Valley," Xendit co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Tessa Wijaya joins Arjun Kharpal at the Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH) to discuss unifying a fragmented payments system landscape, learning from her first startup in the food business and the challenge of moving the Asian payment market away from QR codes.

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In 2018, venture capital firm Antler set up its headquarters in Singapore and has since invested in more than 1,300 startups. In this episode of CNBC's "Beyond the Valley," Antler founder and CEO Magnus Grimeland joins Arjun Kharpal at the Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH) to discuss why he backs great teams over trends, Asia's key role in AI development and why the AI hype is different from the dotcom bubble.

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