The First AI-Native Network: Qualcomm’s Vision for 6G
At MWC Barcelona 2026, the conversation around AI is no longer confined to software. It is becoming physical, personal, and deeply tied to the future of connectivity.
Mar 26, 2026
The First AI-Native Network: Qualcomm’s Vision for 6G
In this episode, Matthew Roberts welcomes Don McGuire, EVP & CMO at Qualcomm, back to the podcast for a wide-ranging conversation on what AI-native networks, emerging device form factors, and the next era of telecom could really mean in practice. From Qualcomm’s latest announcements around 6G, wearable platforms, agentic modems, and Wi-Fi 8 to the bigger question of how operators evolve in an AI-first world, Don lays out a vision in which connectivity becomes more intelligent, more anticipatory, and more embedded in everyday life.
The discussion also explores the role of the modern CMO in navigating AI’s competing narratives, why human-led and AI-powered may be the most important balance for marketers to get right, and how younger generations are already treating AI less like a tool and more like a thought partner.
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“6G is the first AI-native network architecture. Part of that is because it will become a sensing network. It will see what you see, hear what you hear, and then enable experiences around it. Especially from your personal perspective, your little personal ecosystem of you, which is you and the devices that are surrounding you – your smartphone, your glasses, your ring, your watch, your earbuds, your computer, your car, and how you interact with AI and how you interact with your digital world in that context.”
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