AI Companion is the New Interface: Building a Learning Agent Device with China's Hardware Ecosystem

AI is rapidly evolving from chatbots to copilots, and now toward agent-based systems. But most AI experiences still live inside apps—fragmented, reactive, and short-lived. What if AI becomes a long-term companion instead?

This talk shares the journey from leading Microsoft Copilot and Agent product initiatives to building Ingora, an AI-native learning companion for children. It introduces a new paradigm: AI companions that combine agent intelligence, multimodal interaction (voice and vision), and hardware to support continuous, personalized learning. The talk also explores why traditional AI tutor models fall short, and shares practical insights on building AI-native hardware products with China's supply chain.