Smart or Artificially Intelligent? Which is better for your home at CES 2024

CES 2024 is set to kick-off on January 9, and ahead of the tech world’s biggest conference we’re here to look at the big trends that will dominate the show, and which companies are deserving of that all important spotlight. 

Going by what we saw at IFA 2023, it’s easy to predict another year of “AI Everything”. It seems that if a device can have AI inserted into it, it will have AI inserted into it – no matter how useful or useless it turns out to be. 

2023 saw the term stretched to its breaking point, and with consumers no longer as easily wowed by putting “AI” in front of product names, companies are going to have to do more to prove their products are truly the best. 

One area where true innovation can still surprise us is the Smart Home sector. Anyone who has watched any Black Mirror episodes will know just how futuristic (and creepy) AI in the home could get. While hardware remains important, it’s the spotlight-stealing AI software that takes centre stage. Whether it’s refrigerators crafting personalised meals or robots cheerfully folding laundry, AI is making itself at home in our living spaces one way or another. 

LG has confirmed that it will unveil its “Smart Home AI Agent” at CES 2024, and claims that its AI operator can roam freely around the house, interact with users, and even express emotions thanks to natural language processing. Samsung meanwhile is redefining the kitchen experience with its AI innovations – its stand is slated to showcase its commitment to creating a seamless and connected food ecosystem. The highlight here has got to be its “Image-to-Recipe” AI, that deconstructs a meal’s ingredients from photos. 

With the bigger brands trying to AI-ify things that already exist, it’s down to the smaller start-ups and scale-ups to surprise us with innovation. Take Switchbot for example, and its vacuum that connects directly to your water pipes, letting it wash itself and return to its charger without the need for human interference. 

Similarly, we look forward to seeing the return of Enabot EBO X, an adorable robot family companion with two-way audio that lets you monitor your home, room by room – perfect for cheeky, adventurous pets. Smaller, smarter countertop devices from June, Brava, and Anova are all boasting upgraded AI capabilities – nothing to rival the advances seen over the last year, but a lot more than your standard appliances. And then there’s SEERGRILLS, which recently launched Perfecta, billed as “The World’s First AI-Powered Grill.” 

We have AI powered baby monitors from Giraffe AI at one end of the spectrum, and then a range of products and ideas from AgeTech Collaborative with the goal of advancing solutions that transform lives for older adults, across AI, robotics, and home care in general. 

But the big question is, do the consumers care? Is the Giraffe AI baby monitor better at monitoring your baby than traditional cameras and sensors? Is the Perfecta grill truly going to cook you a better steak? And if so, will consumers see it as worth the cost? 

With the hype for AI peaking at this years’ CES, the products with the most staying power will be those who’s artificial intelligence solutions are smart enough to actually improve people’s lives in tangible, trackable, provable ways. And away from all the noise of CES, the challenge of making that clear to consumers is going to weigh heavily on marketers minds.