00:33, 15 February 2026

Russian Tech Executive Predicts Next Tech Surge in AI-Powered Devices

Yandex says a new technological wave could emerge as artificial intelligence becomes deeply integrated into portable electronics.

Wearable devices with deep AI integration could mark the next major stage in the evolution of consumer technology, according to executives at Yandex, who argue the market is on the brink of another technological shift.

A New Growth Point

Manufacturers are actively testing the integration of artificial intelligence into a range of hardware products, said Vadim Yeremin, commercial director of Yandex’s voice assistant Alisa and its smart devices division.

“Manufacturers are exploring ways to embed artificial intelligence into various devices. Sooner or later, such a device will emerge, and it will represent a new step in the evolution of electronics. Over the past several years, the market has not seen changes of this magnitude,” he said.

According to Yeremin, AI is already expanding the capabilities of familiar gadgets, including smartphones, headphones, and smart speakers. But so far, no breakthrough device has become a mass-market hit.

Searching for a New Format

Industry players are now looking toward devices built around deep AI integration. As an example, Yeremin pointed to OpenAI, which has also announced plans to develop a similar product.

“Many companies are planning to create a device that will be tightly integrated with artificial intelligence. What that device will look like, what form factor it will take, and how it will operate — no one knows. The market is in a holding pattern, everyone is waiting, and in the coming years we will see many such experiments. For us, this is not a new category but a continuation of our smart device lineup with an AI assistant, which we have been developing for eight years,” he added.

Headphones in the Lead

For Yandex, the first wearable device with integrated AI will be a pair of headphones. The company announced their release late last year and views the product as a testing ground for new mobile usage scenarios.

“We see a strong opportunity to observe and analyze how people will use the assistant, which scenarios will prove most in demand, what they will like most, and what will ultimately fail to gain traction,” Yeremin said.

The company plans to expand its experiments and bring AI into additional product categories, focusing on personalized usage scenarios and continuous learning for its AI assistants.

Digital economy