According to several reports, Malaysians use AI on their phones today for simple and quick stuff like asking for directions, setting alarms, or searching for answers.
Kinda like “Googling on demand and on the go” if you ask me. But the rise of agentic AI technology will soon change this trend, as they are not just able to answer questions but to actually get things done for you, by understanding your goals, making decisions, taking actions across apps, and then learn from the results, so instead of waiting for constant instructions, it plans ahead and works quietly in the background.
Just a single goal will be able to drive the AI to factor and take actions from multiple aspects through the context available in your surroundings, namely your calendar, location, traffic, and habits.
So imagine a working professional in Kuala Lumpur getting ready to leave the house, while the AI checks traffic on the LDP, automatically delays a meeting, sends a polite message to colleagues, and opens Waze with the fastest route without the user touching their phone.
For parents, it could mean spotting school events inside WhatsApp messages, adding them straight into the calendar, setting reminders, and even preparing directions to tuition centres later in the day.
And it doesn’t have to be a one-time thing, as AI can learn about your daily routines and automate selected actions for you at certain times, such as preparing your transit apps when riding LRTs, silencing notifications during meetings, and reminding you to leave earlier when rain or road closures are expected.
Or maybe during Ramadan (coming in next month by the way), it will adjust notifications behavior near iftar, suggest quieter modes in the evening, or remind you of prayer times based on your location. Over time, it starts to feel less like a tool and more like a personal assistant that actually understands how you live.
But to achieve this, privacy has to be strong, and this is why on-device AI processing power has been the emphasis in recent years, as well as the use of hardware encryption to protect personal data. In short, agentic AI is not about being flashy, but rather about reducing the friction in daily life with fewer taps, fewer reminders, and fewer things to remember.
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