📞 Deutsche Telekom launches AI assistant for phone calls

Deutsche Telekom, the German mobile phone provider that is also the majority shareholder of T-Mobile in the US, has announced a collaboration with ElevenLabs to introduce an AI assistant in all calls on its network in Germany. This assistant, called Magenta AI Call Assistant, will be available without the need for a specific app or a particular smartphone.

The feature was presented at Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona and will allow users to activate the assistant simply by saying "Hey Magenta" during a call. This assistant will be able to offer services such as real-time translation, calendar inquiries, and nearby location searches.

However, this innovation also raises privacy concerns, as the assistant will be present in unencrypted calls. Avijit Ghosh, an AI policy researcher, expressed skepticism about the assistant's usefulness in the middle of a conversation, suggesting it could lead to an uncomfortable experience for users.

Deutsche Telekom assures that using the assistant will be optional and will comply with EU data protection laws, without storing voice recordings. The availability of the Magenta AI Call Assistant will be limited to Germany for now, with plans for support for translations in up to 50 languages next year.

Source: WIRED