AI in the workplace: How to manage Galaxy AI, Gemini and others on mobile devices
Today, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) goes far beyond apps like ChatGPT. Apple and Android devices now have AI deeply integrated into their operating systems: Samsung uses Galaxy AI, Google relies on Gemini, and Apple offers Apple Intelligence. These AI systems run quietly in the background, so seamlessly integrated that users often don’t even notice them.AI is no longer just a digital Q&A tool—it has become an assistant designed to optimise the entire user experience. This brings clear benefits for everyday personal use. In a business setting, however, it can create tension, as data protection, security, and compliance may be at risk. In this article, we explain why implementing an MDM system can help businesses control—or even completely restrict—AI functionality in the workplace.
How AI changes Smartphones
The applications of AI on smartphones are incredibly diverse. For example, cameras can now recognise subjects, automatically adjust exposure and focus, and even correct colours. AI assistants go even further, allowing users to edit entire images after the fact—removing distractions or adding details with ease.
Voice control has also reached a new level thanks to AI. Assistants like Siri and Google Gemini can now understand not only simple commands but also complex instructions, respond contextually, and pull together information from multiple apps. Live translations make spontaneous communication across language barriers much easier. Beyond that, AI helps manage resources by learning from user behaviour, dynamically optimising performance, and conserving battery life. It filters spam, blocks phishing attempts, and automates routine tasks. In short, AI has long since established itself as a powerful tool in the workplace, supporting a wide range of processes.
When AI becomes a risk in the workplace
As impressive as these developments are, they also pose challenges for companies. As AI becomes more deeply integrated, it gains broader access to sensitive data. A current example is Google Gemini, which has been even more tightly embedded in Android since July 2025. The app can access a wide range of data from various applications—including text messages, call logs, and even WhatsApp chats. While this is officially intended to simplify everyday tasks, in practice it means that business-critical or confidential information can be processed, stored, and potentially reviewed by external service providers. Users have no control over if or how this data is used to train AI systems.
What makes this particularly sensitive is that services like Gemini are deeply integrated into the operating system and cannot be easily uninstalled. This creates a risk that internal communications, confidential documents, or sensitive customer data could unintentionally become part of AI processes.
MDM as a control mechanism for AI
This is exactly where mobile device management (MDM) systems, such as MobiVisor MDM, come into play. MDM is primarily used to configure mobile devices in a GDPR-compliant manner, ensuring the protection of company, employee, and customer data. It does this by leveraging specific interfaces provided by device manufacturers. When it comes to AI and MDM, companies first need a clear understanding of how AI is integrated into mobile devices and what capabilities it offers. For instance, Apple Intelligence can generate text suggestions, summarise long messages, and much more. In many cases, AI features are designed to boost employee productivity and appeal to users by simplifying organisational tasks. Apple has published a detailed security concept for its AI, noting that most data processing occurs on the device itself, with cloud processing used only in exceptional cases. To deploy Apple Intelligence in the EU, Apple also had to implement enhancements to comply with data protection requirements.
Even though smartphone and tablet providers claim their devices are GDPR-compliant, it remains advisable for companies to develop a clear usage policy for AI. It is particularly important to ensure that any agreements made with the works council are respected and followed.
AIs in the workplace: Which functions can be managed with MDM?
Unfortunately, the options for managing AI via an MDM depend largely on which interfaces the providers make available. At the moment, there are no political or regulatory guidelines regarding AI manageability. On iOS devices, Apple Intelligence and Siri can be controlled through an MDM. For example, in MobiVisor MDM, administrators can define device usage policies that specify whether Siri is allowed or not. To do this, the devices must be in managed mode—that is, strictly company-owned devices.
Although Google is tightly integrated with Android and even offers its own smartphones, the popular Google Pixel devices used in many companies currently do not provide interfaces for managing Gemini, Google’s AI assistant. However, since Gemini is expected to replace Google Assistant in the near future, we can anticipate improvements, as the ability to manage Google Assistant will be essential for many businesses—especially if AI is not meant to be freely available in the workplace. Samsung Galaxy AI, on the other hand, can be disabled directly in the device settings. This allows device administrators to control which AI functions are active. Using an MDM, they can specify exactly which features should be enabled or blocked. However, the following applies to all Apple and Android devices: Admins generally do not have access to AI applications on BYOD devices and therefore cannot deactivate them. This also applies to Android devices that have a private profile (COPE). AI applications can only be managed on the work profile.
AI in the workplace: What are the benefits of Galaxy AI and similar technologies?
AI assistants can be highly practical for businesses, making work on mobile devices faster and easier. Certain features, such as voice input or automatic website translation, have become indispensable for many employees. Still, companies need to ensure that the use of AI on company-owned mobile devices fully complies with the GDPR, and that data processing occurs exclusively on the device itself to prevent any information from being stored in the cloud. For companies handling particularly sensitive data, it is advisable to completely disable AI applications wherever possible. At the same time, with the right MDM policies in place, businesses can strike a balance—allowing employees to benefit from AI while maintaining full control over data security and compliance.
