Artificial intelligence does not automatically become a useful service for the user. Its actual adoption depends on strategic partnerships that enable technological capabilities to be transformed into simple, secure and scalable experiences. In this process, telecoms companies play a key role as orchestrators, bringing together innovation, partners and genuine customer needs.
Mireia Cuenca Follow
Head of video partnerships and innovation
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Artificial intelligence does not automatically become a useful service for the user. Its real-world adoption depends on strategic partnerships that enable technological capabilities to be transformed into simple, secure and scalable experiences. In this process, telecoms companies play a key role as orchestrators, connecting innovation, partners and real customer needs.
Artificial intelligence has become the big talking point of the moment, a trend that has now lasted four years and even featured in a 2024 New Year’s Eve special on RTVE, which humorously parodied the rise of AI. There is talk of models, assistants, co-pilots, agents, automation, productivity and new use cases. But as the technology matures, a less visible yet increasingly important question is beginning to emerge: how to turn all that potential into understandable, customisable and tangible services for customers, businesses and users.
Because it is one thing to have AI capability and quite another to transform it into a useful, understandable, secure and scalable offering.
This is where partnerships begin to play a decisive role. AI will not reach the market solely through the power of its models or the speed of technological innovation. It will arrive when it is integrated into specific experiences, with a clear business model, a simple user experience, privacy guarantees, support, measurement and trust.
And few companies can achieve all that on their own.
For years, many digital innovations have followed a similar pattern. For example, when the iPhone first appeared, it wasn’t immediately clear what it would ultimately enable beyond the device itself. First came the technology. Then a vast ecosystem of apps, developers, services and business models emerged. And, over time, that complexity coalesced around something very simple for the user.
With AI, we are entering that phase. The challenge is no longer just to identify what artificial intelligence can do, but to decide where it delivers real value, for what type of customer, with which partner, within what user experience and under what business model.
It is not enough to say that a product ‘has AI’. It must better address a need: automating tasks, improving customer service, optimising processes or personalising experiences.
The difference between an interesting feature and a service with real potential will lie in the clarity of the benefit and the ability to bring it to market consistently.
From the outside, a partnership is usually only visible at the moment of signing. But, from the inside, the process begins much earlier: identifying trends, scouting for partners, initial agreements, internal validation and aligning with real needs.
The example of Netflix illustrates this clearly: the value lay not just in signing the agreement, but in integrating the service into the customer experience, packaging it, adapting it commercially and making it scalable.
Something similar happens with AI, but with greater complexity. Not all partnerships will have the same impact.
Some will serve to test technologies, others to improve products, and only a few will become strategic partnerships capable of transforming the value proposition.
In this new phase, many companies will seek partnerships in artificial intelligence. But not all partnerships will deliver the same value.
The key lies in identifying which partners bring distinctive capabilities, which use cases have long-term potential, and how they integrate into the experience.
Telecoms companies are in a unique position in this context.
They provide:
But, above all, they provide something crucial: the ability to turn complex technology into a simple proposition.
For many AI players, reaching the end customer is no easy task. Telcos can act as a bridge, integrating technological capabilities into real-world solutions.
The opportunity lies not in replacing specialists, but in connecting their innovation with specific market needs.
In an environment such as AI, more partners do not necessarily mean more value.
The value lies in:
And, in some cases, walking away. Not all opportunities warrant investment, nor do they all offer differentiation.
The advantage lies in building coherent combinations that make sense to the customer.
The success of a partnership is not measured by the announcement, but by the actual impact:
In AI, key aspects such as privacy, security and explainability also come into play.
Bringing AI to market is not just about innovation; it is also about service design, execution and internal coordination.
AI is transforming how companies compete.
It is no longer just about what they build, but what they are able to connect and integrate.
For a telecoms company, the key question is what role it wants to play:
The difference will lie in its ability to identify trends, choose partners and execute proposals.
Artificial intelligence will be one of the major forces of transformation in the coming years. But for it to truly reach customers and businesses, more than just technology is needed.
Integration, trust, execution and well-built partnerships are required.
And this is where telcos can hold a key competitive advantage.
Telefónica is taking on the challenge of leading the way in access to digital technologies, driving forward proposals that turn innovation into a real customer experience: “Telefónica is taking on the undisputed challenge of becoming the best gateway for citizens to access digital technologies”.
This commitment is underpinned by the ability to integrate partners, develop advanced services and build an accessible, secure and user-centred offering, translating the complexity of artificial intelligence into simple, useful and c
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