AT&T Launches AI App to Unify Its Digital Services

AT&T Modernizes Its Services with a New AI Application

AT&T recently launched a new application that replaces the old MyAT&T, used by customers to manage their mobile and high-speed Internet accounts. This app, available since Wednesday, integrates an AI-based chat assistant, parental controls, and more detailed information on call and data usage.

Traditionally, the launch of an app doesn't generate much excitement. However, carrier apps are increasingly becoming the primary means for users to interact with their Internet services, whether wireless or home-based. They allow users to check and pay bills, as well as troubleshoot connectivity issues. For example, Verizon has integrated Google Gemini for frontline support in its app, while T-Mobile uses its T-Life app to track weekly benefits and entice potential customers to switch carriers.

The new AT&T app, simply called AT&T, combines mobile and home Internet features for what the company refers to as "converged" customers—those who subscribe to both services. It also features a cleaner design and appears to be faster overall.

During the beta testing of the app prior to its launch, one of the first notable improvements over the MyAT&T app was the removal of a frustrating feature. Sometimes, when searching for information, the app would display it in a web browser within the interface, giving the impression of being transferred to another service, which created a disconcerting user experience.

"Our data shows that if there are frictions in the experience [for customers], people simply abandon it," said Andrew Solmssen, Assistant Vice President of Digital Customer Growth at AT&T. "So we worked a lot on" the design and performance of the app.

An AI Assistant for Simplified Interaction

The new AT&T app includes the usual buttons and menus for navigation, checking bills, exploring other plans and services, and purchasing phones and accessories. However, Solmssen emphasized that the development teams recognized that these structures do not work for everyone. That’s why a major new feature is the generative AI assistant named Andi.

"We see in our testing that people find [these tasks] a bit easier to accomplish directly through a conversation," said Solmssen. This also allows customers to change context without having to start over or navigate to a new section. For example, if they check if an International Day Pass is available and then want to know the rates for the daily pass, they can simply ask a follow-up question in the same conversation.

"The goal here is to serve the customer in the best way possible," said Jeff Dixon, Assistant Vice President of Digital Product Management and Development at AT&T.

The assistant is built using licensed LLM components such as Google Gemini and OpenAI models. Customer data remains with AT&T and is not shared with outside companies. "Our data is all isolated," Dixon stated. "There is an extensive security team… [and] a lot of rigorous work just to ensure everything is safe."

During my limited testing with the beta app, obtaining information from the AI assistant was sometimes hit or miss. When I asked Andi how long it had been since I used data on my Apple Watch, it showed me prices for purchasing a new watch. And when I asked it to recommend a plan for my account, it suggested the AT&T Unlimited Premium PL, which was discontinued last week in favor of the new Premium 2.0 plan.

Next, I asked it to compare the Premium 2.0 with my current plan, but it couldn't access that information. So, in that interaction at least, it did not pull customer information into the conversation. However, when I asked it to compare the Unlimited Elite plan with the Premium 2.0, it provided bullet-point lists of features and a numbered summary of their differences.

I thought my expectations might be too high, but I realized they aren't really my expectations: chatbots like this are supposed to be conversational to provide an experience closer to talking with a real person. If I were to go into an AT&T store and talk to one of the employees, they could access my account and answer my questions with that information at hand.

"It's still too early to see how customers are using it, how they appreciate it," Solmssen said, adding that it still includes the option to go into a store to work with an AT&T representative or contact phone support.

Parental Controls, Detailed Data, and Enhanced Messaging

Another new feature of the app allows users to pause devices or groups of devices connected to their accounts. In the example given by Solmssen, if parents want to ensure phone-free time during dinner or a family activity, they can pause each device for 30 minutes, 2 hours, or 24 hours. This can be done at the individual level or in a group that includes each child's phone. While taking a phone break for family dinner is a benign scenario, others—including parental controls that temporarily turn off children's phones wherever they are—could be oppressive.

If the family is a converged customer with both mobile and home Internet on the same account, they can also pause Wi-Fi access for devices using the same feature.

Groups can also be set up with downtime schedules, such as being offline during the hours when children (or even parents) should be sleeping.

A few other features stand out. The app displays more detailed usage statistics, such as data used by each device on the account, calls, and text messages, as well as hotspot data.

"Even customers who have unlimited access to wireless and Internet are really curious about what data they're using," Solmssen said. "Being able to see that your child's devices used a lot of data at 4 AM is incredibly valuable."

AT&T has also improved the Messages interface. Hopefully, this means there will be no more notifications that appear and then disappear into the ether if you dismiss them before reading.

The app is available for download now and is also being gradually rolled out over the coming weeks for customers who have enabled automatic app updates on their iPhone or Android phones.