Huawei Rolls Out Xiaoyi Assistant Upgrade with Fast and Slow Thinking Architecture
Huawei has begun a gradual, random rollout of a new version of its Xiaoyi assistant's "Smart Brain," powered by an Agentic self-evolving architecture. This update enables the assistant to integrate fast and slow thinking, allowing it to handle complex tasks through planning, execution, and reflection. This rollout represents a significant step in deploying agentic AI at the operating system level, moving beyond simple voice commands to autonomous reasoning. By integrating System 1 (fast) and System 2 (slow) thinking, the assistant can handle multi-step, context-aware tasks directly on mobile devices. The update requires HarmonyOS 6.0 or higher and Xiaoyi App version 11.6.4.300+, and it currently supports three agents, including Xiaoyi Photo Editing and Xiaoyi Creative Studio. Simple tasks are executed instantly, while complex tasks show their execution process in the status bar as they undergo multi-round planning and reflection.
## BACKGROUND
The concept of "fast and slow thinking" originates from cognitive psychology (System 1 and System 2), where System 1 is fast and intuitive, while System 2 is slow, deliberate, and logical. In AI, Agentic architecture applies this by using Large Language Models (LLMs) not just for instant text generation, but within iterative loops that plan, execute actions, and reflect on outcomes to solve complex problems.