A robot arm with puppy dog eyes is one of Lenovo’s desktop AI concepts

Alongside a handful of new laptop concepts (and a range of real products too), Lenovo used MWC to announce a pair of AI-based productivity companion concepts. Both are standalone desk devices designed to boost productivity while providing office workers with a bit of artificial dystopic companionship.

Lenovo describes its AI Workmate Concept as an “always-on desk companion,” but it looks like a tiny robotic arm on a swiveling base with a bulbous screen on the end displaying an expressive pair of eyes. It doesn’t look as engaging as a human co-worker, but through local AI processing you can interact with the device as a smart assistant via voice commands and physical gestures.

The Workmate Concept can also help with “practical business tasks.” Below its screen is a camera that can be used to scan notes and documents to generate summaries, organize your ideas, or automatically turn them into presentations. When it’s time to share with others, the Workmate Concept even incorporates a projector that can display documents on your desk or onto a nearby wall.

Lenovo’s AI Work Companion Concept takes a different approach to AI assistance. It looks like a bedside alarm clock with a large screen, but instead of waking you it leverages AI to “sync tasks and schedules from across the user’s devices to generate a balanced daily plan.” To help prevent burnout the Work Companion monitors screen time and suggests taking breaks throughout the day, along with playful interactions using animated faces, and end-of-week celebrations with reports of completed tasks.

It also doubles as a dock, connecting a laptop to multiple displays over HDMI and providing plenty of USB ports to keep other devices charging while reducing desktop clutter.