One of the giants of telecommunications is making a bold bet on the future of smartphones. And they’re turning to one of the most exciting artificial intelligence startups in the world to do it.

‍What’s happening:‍

• Perplexity AI has officially announced a new joint venture with Deutsche Telekom to launch a new smartphone powered by artificial intelligence known as the AI Phone
  

The big idea:‍

• The new smartphone from Perplexity AI and Deutsche Telekom is aiming to not rely on mobile apps and instead run on its own fully custom operating system
  
• Users will control their device through voice commands and the AI Phone will be able to seamlessly perform tasks such as booking travel, making restaurant reservation and shopping
  

Why it matters:‍

• This is one of the first major joint venture deals between a telecommunications company and an artificial intelligence startup focused on disrupting the fundamental operating system of smartphones
  

Going deeper:‍

• Deutsche Telekom and Perplexity AI plan to first launch the AI Phone in Europe and support more than a dozen different languages upon the initial roll out of the new device
  

The intrigue:‍

• Deutsche Telekom has been continually making disruptive bets on emerging technology, including previously venturing into mining Bitcoin for the first time ever

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