Interactive displays have become increasingly popular in schools and businesses, transforming the way people teach, present, and collaborate.

But with the rise of AI—especially tools like ChatGPT in recent years—the role of these displays is rapidly evolving. They are no longer just smart screens, but intelligent assistants that understand, adapt, and respond.

In 2025, next-gen interactive displays will integrate advanced AI functions to enhance engagement, personalization, and efficiency.

Today, I’d like to share with you the Top 5 AI Functions in Next-Gen Interactive Displays, and how they’re shaping the future of education and corporate communication. Let’s dive in.

The Evolution of Smart Displays into AI-Driven Hubs

In the past, smart or interactive displays primarily served as touch-enabled digital whiteboards. They replaced traditional projectors and chalkboards with features like handwriting recognition, wireless screen sharing, and basic annotation tools. While effective for visual engagement, these displays were mostly passive tools—relying entirely on the user to control content and interaction. They lacked adaptability, predictive intelligence, or deeper understanding of user behavior.

Fast forward to 2025, and the role of interactive displays is undergoing a major transformation. With the rapid advancement of AI technologies—especially in natural language processing, image recognition, and behavioral analysis—next-gen displays are evolving into AI-driven collaboration hubs. These systems are not just screens, but smart assistants that can interpret voice commands, suggest content, adapt display settings automatically, and even summarize meetings in real time.

This shift marks a fundamental change: AI is no longer just an assistant—it’s becoming a decision-making partner. In education, AI-enhanced displays can adjust lesson pacing based on student responses. In business, they can analyze discussions and generate actionable insights or reminders. The interactive display is now context-aware, responsive, and deeply integrated with broader digital ecosystems.

As AI continues to advance, these displays will no longer be isolated teaching or presentation tools—they’ll become central to how we think, communicate, and collaborate across industries. The convergence of display hardware and artificial intelligence is unlocking a new era of smart, adaptive environments. 

Now Lets go into next part to see what AI functions exactly we have!

AI Function #1: Real-Time Image Recognition

One of the most powerful AI features in next-gen interactive displays is real-time image recognition. This function allows the display to actively analyze visual input through built-in or connected cameras and instantly recognize people, objects, or even written content. In education settings, this technology can be used for automatic student attendance—a teacher walks into the room, the camera scans faces, and the system logs attendance without manual input. Beyond that, AI can identify objects during lessons—for example, recognizing a historical artifact or chemical lab equipment, and automatically displaying relevant explanations, safety instructions, or 3D models.

In corporate and business environments, image recognition enhances security and access control. Interactive displays in meeting rooms can verify employee identity before granting access to confidential presentations or automatically log who participated in a session. It also enables gesture-based commands by tracking hand movements or physical props.

In the retail sector, smart displays equipped with AI vision can recognize products picked up by customers, display relevant ads or product details, and even suggest complementary items in real-time. It blends physical interaction with intelligent digital response, enhancing the customer experience.

By turning visual input into actionable data, real-time image recognition transforms interactive displays into context-aware systems. They no longer just show content—they understand what’s happening in the room and respond intelligently, making them essential tools for smart classrooms, secure offices, and immersive retail environments.

AI Function #2: Natural Language & Semantic Understanding

Natural language processing (NLP) and semantic understanding have taken interactive displays to a whole new level. In the past, some devices integrated basic voice command features, often limited to keyword-based triggers—similar to asking Alexa to play music. But in next-gen interactive displays, AI goes far beyond simple voice control. It understands meaning, intent, and context—enabling true two-way interaction.

With advanced NLP, users can speak naturally to the display. For example, a teacher might say, “Show me today’s lesson plan and highlight math topics,” and the system understands both the task and context—no need for rigid phrasing. In corporate meetings, someone could ask, “What were the key decisions from our last strategy session?” and the display, integrated with past meeting data, can generate a quick summary.

These displays also support real-time multilingual translation, breaking language barriers in global classrooms or international business settings. A presenter can speak in English while the display shows subtitles in Arabic, Spanish, or Mandarin—all powered by AI.

Furthermore, semantic understanding enables context-aware Q&A. Students or team members can ask follow-up questions, and the AI remembers the topic flow—delivering responses that feel intelligent and relevant.

This function transforms interactive displays into smart assistants, not just input-output devices. Whether you’re teaching, presenting, or collaborating across cultures, AI-driven language and semantic capabilities make communication more natural, inclusive, and productive. It’s no longer just “voice control”—it’s intelligent conversation.

AI Function #3: Touch Behavior Learning & Prediction

Touch behavior learning may sound like an extra feature, but in practice, it can be surprisingly important—especially in busy classrooms or high-traffic collaboration spaces. This AI function allows interactive displays to analyze and adapt to how different users interact with the screen over time, creating a smarter, more intuitive experience.

By learning touch patterns, gesture speed, pressure, and frequency, the display can begin to differentiate between user types. For example, a teacher often uses structured swipes to open menus, write neatly, or switch slides. A student might tap quickly or scribble during activities. The AI recognizes these patterns and adjusts responsiveness accordingly—offering personalized feedback or adjusting tools to fit the user.

In multi-user environments, this technology can significantly enhance collaborative efficiency. Imagine a team of designers or students using the board at once—the AI can intelligently manage input priority, reduce conflicts, and understand group dynamics. It can also prevent accidental input, such as ignoring palm touches or random swipes while someone writes.

Over time, the display becomes more attuned to the environment—predicting what tools or layouts each user prefers, and offering quick-access shortcuts based on historical behavior. This reduces friction and improves the flow of interaction.

Ultimately, touch behavior learning transforms the display from a reactive screen to a proactive assistant. It anticipates, adapts, and responds based on who’s using it and how—making every interaction smoother, faster, and more natural.

AI Function #4: Handwriting Recognition & Optimization

One of the most practical and widely appreciated AI features in next-gen interactive displays is handwriting recognition and optimization. As digital whiteboards become central to classrooms and meetings, the ability to seamlessly convert handwritten input into clean, editable digital text brings major convenience and efficiency.

Modern AI-powered interactive displays can instantly recognize handwritten characters—whether printed or cursive—and accurately transform them into structured text. This is especially useful in educational settings, where teachers often write fast during lessons. Instead of messy screenshots or blurry notes, the display can generate a clean, legible version of the board’s content, ready to be saved, edited, or shared.

More impressively, AI algorithms can optimize the handwriting itself by correcting common issues like slanted text, uneven spacing, or shaky strokes. Even if the user’s handwriting is unclear or hurried, the system can enhance it for better readability—making board content more accessible for students or remote viewers.

Combined with OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and semantic understanding, the display can even auto-generate structured notes from what was written—identifying headers, bullet points, equations, or action items. This turns raw board sketches into organized learning materials or meeting summaries.

In short, this feature does more than “read” handwriting—it enhances it, organizes it, and gives it digital intelligence. It bridges the gap between analog input and digital productivity, making every writing session count more—with less manual cleanup and more professional results.

AI Function #5: Context-Aware Environment Adaptation

Imagine this: you walk into a meeting room, and the interactive display wakes up automatically, lights up the screen, and opens your scheduled presentation file—no remote, no button press, just seamless anticipation. That’s the power of context-aware environment adaptation, one of the most futuristic and human-like AI functions in next-gen interactive displays.

Using built-in sensors and machine learning algorithms, the display constantly analyzes the surrounding light levels, sound environment, and user activity. Based on these inputs, it can adjust brightness, volume, or even switch display modes to match the setting—whether it’s a bright classroom, a quiet meeting, or a noisy exhibition hall.

In business settings, this function goes even further. The system can detect movement in the room, recognize a scheduled meeting via calendar sync, and auto-load relevant files or apps. If no interaction is detected after a set period, the display enters power-saving mode, reducing energy usage without compromising availability.

For teachers, it might shift into “lecture mode” during class hours, while for after-school activities, it adjusts to “collaboration mode.” This adaptability reduces the need for manual configuration and enhances user focus.

By combining environmental sensing with predictive behavior, the display becomes more than a tool—it becomes a smart participant in the room, reacting to conditions in real time. This level of intuitive automation not only boosts convenience but also transforms the overall user experience into something truly intelligent and ambient.

The Future of AI + Interactive Displays: Hardware Meets Intelligence

The future of interactive displays lies in the seamless integration of AI hardware and software, marking a shift from simple tools to intelligent collaboration hubs. Many next-gen displays are now being built with embedded AI chips or AI engines, allowing real-time processing of language, gestures, image recognition, and environmental data—all at the edge, without needing cloud access. This trend toward edge computing reduces latency, enhances privacy, and enables faster, smarter responses.

In China, smart board manufacturers and their supply chain partners are actively investing in AI function upgrades. These include real-time translation, behavioral prediction, intelligent scheduling, and adaptive display environments. From Dongguan to Shenzhen, factories are integrating AI modules directly into mainboards and co-developing software that enhances interactivity far beyond traditional touchscreens.

Adoption is accelerating in education, enterprise, and healthcare sectors—where the demand for responsive, intelligent, and data-driven displays is highest. Imagine classrooms with displays that adjust lessons based on student comprehension, or hospitals where digital boards provide real-time visual diagnosis support.

As hardware meets intelligence, interactive displays are evolving from presentation devices into smart collaboration centers, shaping the future of how we teach, meet, and work.

Shenzhentimes Reports: 2025 Global AI Terminal Expo to Spotlight Breakthroughs in Interactive Displays

According to Shenzhentimes, the 2025 Global Artificial Intelligence Terminal Expo, held alongside the 6th Shenzhen International AI Exhibition, will take place next year under the theme “Intelligent Connectivity, Future at the Edge.” The event will focus on cutting-edge fields such as large language models, computing power, robotics, smart finance, intelligent manufacturing, and digital healthcare, showcasing the latest AI technologies and real-world applications.

The expo will feature five core exhibition zones, including: Core Technologies, Large Model Integrated Machines and Industry Solutions, Smart Terminals, Innovative Enterprises and Products, and Human-Robot Interaction. One of the highlights will be the AI Function Interactive Display Zone, where next-generation smart displays featuring semantic understanding, image recognition, intelligent handwriting optimization, and environmental adaptation will be unveiled.

Leading manufacturers from Shenzhen, Dongguan, and other key tech hubs will present their AI-embedded interactive displays powered by edge computing, tailored for education, business meetings, and medical applications.

The expo will also host a Global AI Summit Forum, product debuts, investment matchmaking, and innovation project showcases—positioning itself as a key platform for collaboration and insight into the future of intelligent AI hardware.