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What a truly connected lifestyle looks like, according to Xiaomi
From wearables to mobility, the Chinese tech company is building an ecosystem designed around behaviour, not just products
- PUBLISHED: Thu 26 Mar 2026, 4:44 PM
In the race to build the next generation of connected living, the conversation around AIoT has often been dominated by specs and features. But beneath that surface, a shift is taking place, where technology is becoming less visible and increasingly embedded in everyday routines.
For Xiaomi, this shift is central to its long-term vision. The company’s expanding ecosystem spanning smartphones, wearables, smart home devices, audio, and now mobility, is built around a simple idea: technology should adapt to users, not the other way around.
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For the uninitiated, AIoT is simply the combination of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), essentially turning connected devices into systems that can learn and act on their own.
In an interview with Tommy Yang, General Manager of Xiaomi Middle East, we explore how AIoT is evolving beyond buzzwords into something far more practical. Yang also breaks down why the next phase of innovation may not be about more devices, but better-connected experiences. Excerpts from a conversation:
Many tech companies talk about AIoT, but consumers often still see devices as separate gadgets. From Xiaomi’s perspective, what does a truly connected ecosystem actually look like in everyday life?
From Xiaomi’s perspective, a truly connected ecosystem is not simply about having many smart devices; it is about creating a seamless, intelligent experience that fits naturally into everyday life.
What matters most is how devices work together around the user. For us, that means personal devices and smart home products operating as one connected experience, rather than as separate gadgets. The smartphone often serves as the central touchpoint, while wearables, tablets, audio products, home appliances, and other AIoT devices work together in a more intuitive and coordinated way.
In everyday life, that could mean your wearable helping you understand your health and routine, your smartphone making it easier to manage multiple connected devices, and your home products responding more intelligently to your environment and preferences. The real value is not in any single device, but in the continuity and convenience created when they work together seamlessly.
Ultimately, we see the future of AIoT as moving beyond standalone hardware and toward intelligent living where technology becomes more intuitive, more connected, and more naturally embedded into how people live every day.
Xiaomi’s ecosystem spans smartphones, wearables, audio devices, home appliances, and mobility. When building that ecosystem, how much of the design process begins with real-world user behaviour rather than individual product categories?
A great deal of it begins with real-world user behaviour. At Xiaomi, we do not design the ecosystem in isolation from product categories. We start with how people actually live, how they move through the day, stay connected, manage their home, and switch between different needs and moments.
Consumers do not think in categories; they think in experiences. So our focus is on making devices work together in a way that feels intuitive, seamless, and genuinely useful in everyday life. That is why, for us, ecosystem design is ultimately user-led, not category-led.
For years, AI was marketed as a visible feature. Now it seems to be moving into the background. How is Xiaomi thinking about AI becoming more ambient and invisible across devices?
We believe the next phase of AI is not about being more visible, but more useful. At Xiaomi, we see AI evolving from a standalone feature into an intelligent layer that works more seamlessly across devices and everyday scenarios. The goal is to move beyond isolated, on-screen interactions and make technology more intuitive, connected, and naturally embedded into daily life.
In practical terms, that means AI should help devices work together more intelligently, anticipate user needs more naturally, and reduce friction without demanding constant attention. The best AI experience is not necessarily the one users notice most, it is the one that makes everyday life feel simpler, smarter, and more seamless.
What makes this region, the UAE specifically, particularly interesting when it comes to AIoT and smart living?
From Xiaomi’s perspective, the UAE is particularly interesting because it brings together three things that matter enormously for AIoT and smart living: very high digital maturity, strong openness to AI-led experiences, and exceptional cultural diversity. The UAE is one of the world’s most connected markets, with internet penetration at 99%, mobile connections at more than twice the population, and a resident base made up of more than 200 nationalities.
That matters because smart living in the UAE cannot be designed in a one-size-fits-all way. Users here expect technology to be intuitive, seamless, and relevant across very different lifestyles, languages, and routines. At the same time, the broader environment is highly AI-forward, from the UAE’s national AI strategy to AI-powered public-service platforms In our view, that means consumers are increasingly ready for AI that works quietly in the background to make everyday life simpler, rather than just appearing as a visible feature.
So for Xiaomi, the UAE is not only an important market commercially; it is also a very meaningful market for understanding how connected, intelligent living should work in real life.
We’re seeing multiple tech companies trying to build their own ecosystems. In your view, what separates a genuine ecosystem from simply having a large portfolio of connected devices?
For us, a genuine ecosystem is defined by how seamlessly devices work together, not by how many devices are in the portfolio.
A large connected portfolio can still feel fragmented if products operate separately and the user has to manage each one individually. A true ecosystem should create continuity across devices and scenarios, so the experience feels intuitive, connected, and useful in everyday life.
That means the real value is not in the number of products, but in how intelligently they interact around the user. When technology reduces friction, simplifies routines, and makes daily life feel more seamless, that is when it becomes a real ecosystem rather than just a collection of connected devices.
I am highly interested in smart glasses and how the world is going to adapt to them. Do you think there's a possibility they can replace earbuds entirely?
Smart glasses are definitely an interesting category because they introduce a more natural and hands-free way to experience audio in everyday life.
From Xiaomi’s perspective, products like Mijia Smart Audio Glasses show how wearable audio can become more seamlessly integrated into daily routines by combining eyewear design with open-ear audio technology. This creates a different kind of experience from traditional earbuds, especially for users who value comfort, convenience, and greater awareness of their surroundings while walking, travelling, or managing daily tasks.
That said, we would see smart glasses as expanding user choice rather than simply replacing one category with another. Different form factors serve different needs, and what matters most is how technology fits naturally into different moments of everyday life.
If we look ahead five years, how do you think ecosystems like Xiaomi’s will reshape how people move through their day?
Over the next five years, we believe ecosystems like Xiaomi’s will become more intelligent, more proactive, and more naturally integrated into everyday life. The real shift will be from simply connecting devices to creating connected experiences, where AI helps technology work more seamlessly around the user throughout the day.
