SmartShaped @ MWC 2026: we’ve seen where AI becomes tangible

Together with our colleagues from AstraKode, our partner in the field of Blockchain technologies, we attended the Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona. We got a firsthand look at a technological landscape that has finally moved beyond being just a promise. On the horizon, rather than futuristic visions, there are concrete applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) impacting infrastructure, devices, daily experiences, and even our emotional relationship with technology.

AI, Robotics, and New Interactions

From this edition of MWC, it was immediately clear that AI is no longer relegated to isolated demos but is being integrated into product strategies, the products themselves, and network architectures. AI-native devices, multimodal models, and intelligent agents combining voice, vision, and real-time sensory analysis took center stage, alongside applications that go beyond pure calculation to embody more "human" forms of interaction with the physical environment.
From a robotics perspective, the installations at the fair showcased a wide variety of approaches: robot assistants for specific tasks, service robotics platforms integrated with 5G/5G-A networks, and devices capable of reacting and adapting in real-time to external conditions.

Affective AI and Robotic "Companionship": When Devices Enter the Personal Sphere

Among the curiosities that sparked the most interest—and quite a bit of discussion—was the phenomenon of robotic plush toys equipped with "emotional" AI. Some manufacturers, such as Sharp, presented prototypes like Poketomo, a small intelligent plush that uses its own language model and sensors (microphone and camera) to perceive its environment, respond, and mimic emotions through sounds and LEDs. This soft-robotic creature doesn't just respond to commands: its interaction logic draws on language and empathy models, aiming to provide an experience that feels "more human."
These types of objects fall into the broader category of social robots: physically embodied robots that interact with people following social and behavioral rules, not simply as tools or programmed automatons, but as "agents" perceivable within an environmental context.
While they may seem like gadgets or playful novelties, these new approaches pave the way for applications that enter directly into the personal and affective sphere of human experience: from play and companionship to social support in daily interaction.

Intelligent Infrastructure and System AI

Among the trends emerging at MWC is certainly the evolution of networks and digital platforms toward an AI-centric architecture. Connectivity infrastructures, including 5G-A technologies and strategies for the future of 6G, are integrating intelligent decision-making features, dynamic data traffic orchestration, and predictive automation. These components are becoming an integral part of the technological roadmaps of major companies in the sector.

Blockchain, AI, and Interoperability

While AI drives the evolution of human-machine interactions and digital infrastructure, blockchain and decentralized approaches are emerging as key tools for addressing issues of governance, data trust, and interoperability between distributed intelligent systems. This convergence of paradigms—data decentralization and automated intelligence—is increasingly at the center of discussions on how to build resilient, transparent, and scalable ecosystems. Our partnership with AstraKode fits perfectly into this vision.

A Time for Applications, Not Just Concepts

From this fantastic week spent at MWC, we received confirmation of what we observe in our own projects: AI has become an essential tool that integrates into real value chains. From AI as decision support to AI as a "co-pilot" in digital processes—moving through forms of embodied intelligence (rooted in physical perception and action)—the solutions we encountered and analyzed reflect a landscape where artificial intelligence is an integral part of network infrastructure, where human interactions with intelligent systems go further, and where the first companion robots and devices that redefine relationships are beginning to appear.

In this context, Chameleon—our framework designed for MLOps and the orchestration of AI/ML pipelines—represents one of the many technical tools useful for tackling this transition toward data-driven processes. But more than the technological label, what matters is understanding how these paradigms are put into practice in real-world systems: where they are needed, how they integrate, and what value they create.

In Conclusion

MWC 2026 showcased technology that isn't just doing more things, but is starting to do things differently, with intelligence and contextuality. Robotics, intelligent networks, and devices capable of expressing affective interactions: all of this points to a generational shift, where AI is both a tool for efficiency and a medium for experience.

We will continue to observe these dynamics with a critical eye, comparing them with the applications in our own projects, and sharing insights and reflections that can help those who, like us, work to bring AI innovation into the reality of business solutions and the lives of those who use technology every day.