Artificial intelligence is getting smarter: new AI-backed apps are learning to understand natural language, providing increasingly humanlike answers to human questions. At MWC, cutting-edge companies applied generative AI to everyday experiences – from navigation to creativity – showcasing the technology’s potential to assist people beyond writing and chatbot queries.

“There is no controversy about the definition of the metaverse,” claimed Nicole Lazzaro, founder of US games consultancy XEODesign. “The metaverse simply merges the physical and digital, providing people-led digital tools for creating new experiences.” Following this approach, apps at MWC added digital overlays to physical surroundings, streaming experiences, and remote work.

Raised in an always-online era, members of Gen Alpha – born 2010 onwards – are comfortable using technology in a myriad of settings, including education. Exhibitors at MWC sought to level up the tech skills of this already digitally adept generation with interactive educational tools, such as AR-integrated science books and edu-robots that teach coding to children with disabilities.

Health apps and wellness gadgets abounded at MWC, many backed by AI systems. As the accuracy of smartphone-based health scans and analysis continues to increase, virtual care solutions are tackling old issues with new approaches, using the power of mobile tech to put consumers in control of their own wellbeing.