Skip the App: OpenAI's AI Phone Arrives a Year Early
Scene Hook
Last Wednesday in a Hangzhou coffee shop, a client suddenly asked me: 'Will users still open mini-programs in the future?' I froze. Honestly, I've been stuck on this anxiety too—when AI can directly 'book a homestay' or 'buy a course' for users, who's still clicking into your page?
What's Happening + Who's Already Moving
Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo leaked that OpenAI's phone production is accelerating, moving from 2028 to the first half of 2027. The core highlight is the enhanced image signal processor (letting AI 'see' the real world more clearly), MediaTek exclusively supplying chips, and dual AI processors handling vision and language simultaneously. They predict 30 million shipments in two years. My friend Zhang Lei, who runs a homestay booking mini-program in Chengdu, started researching voice ordering last month—not because the phone is coming, but because ChatGPT's voice mode already made him feel the 'search → click link → browse → order' path will be skipped sooner or later.
Replicate Cost
We can't build the phone, but we can make sure clients find us via AI early. Cost: $0 + 30 minutes + no coding required, just typing. First step: Open ChatGPT, click 'Explore GPTs' → 'Create' on the left, feed it your product info and service flow, and build a 'customer service clone.' This tool isn't for everyone—if clients currently find you directly on WeChat, standardizing your scripts is more urgent; if orders all go through platforms, it's okay not to try this now.
Advice by Stage
If you're just starting: Write a clear service intro and post it on a public page (WeChat Official Account / Xiaohongshu, China's Instagram). AI can find you, provided there's content to search. If you have 1-2 clients: Use ChatGPT to build a GPTs customer service clone, let existing clients test it, and focus on collecting how they describe your service—those are the keywords AI will use to search for you in the future. If you're scaling: Map out your acquisition funnel now and mark which step AI will 'skip.' Search → read reviews → enter store → order. Which step can AI complete for the client? That step is where you need to secure your position early.