The Samsung stand at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show a looks lot different than it did years ago – instead of rows and rows of TVs, audio products, computers and appliances – it’s now all about the company vision of making AI accessible for everyone, everywhere – it is “AI for All”.
And Samsung has made good on its promise it made a decade ago that one day in the smart home of tomorrow that our devices would be able to connect to each other seamlessly to help make our lives better.
The company is in a great position to offer Home AI with so many of its products already in the market and in people’s homes like smartphones, smart TVs, smart wearables and appliances.
Samsung committed to “Screens Everywhere” and this is being reflected in appliances including new Samsung refrigerators with 9-inch AI Home displays and other devices and appliances with 7-inch screens.
And now with SmartThings – the ability to connect and monitor devices, and not just devices from Samsung, has grown even further.
SmartThings is now the bedrock of Samsung’s Home AI vision – whether it’s for single person households or multi-generational families – it can adapt and learn from habits and routines to personalise the smart home experience.
SmartThings brings intelligent connectivity into your home while SmartThings Ambient Sensing can learn a user’s environmental context and analyse movement and sounds picked up by the connected devices like TVs and appliances in their home to it can learn our routines.
Just this alone will allow users to check in on parents, grandparents, kids and pets and more.
For example, you can tell how many times your elderly mother has opened the fridge and moved around the home and right away you’re able to tell that she is eating and not stationary.
Bixby Voice, the AI voice assistant will also come into play by recognising individual voices and respond to that person’s needs and preferences.
One of the goals of having a smarthome is saving energy which both leaves more money in your pocket and reduces carbon emissions.
Flex Connect is Samsung’s energy demand response program which creates incentives for customers and challenges them to be more efficient.
The connected appliances and TVs and other items can also help.
For example, the sensors in your Samsung TV has movement sensors so if it detects no movement, it will work out whether you’ve fallen asleep or left the room and turn off lights and TVs and appliances.
With one of the many partner products available it can also detect if your baby is crying or whether your pets need attention.
Flex Connect is not yet available in Australia but it in the pipeline.
In the US, Flex Connect has been expanded from New York and California to some parts of Texas to help them reduce pressure on their grid.
Home AI can also benefit your health and that of your family and even your pets.
Samsung Health can help users take control of their health through AI-driven health insights gained through Samsung’s smartwatches and Galaxy Ring.
You might decide to start a particular diet and you can tell the Samsung Family Hub to suggest recipes and suggestions based on your new regime.
You might need to cut out one type of food and increase another and the Samsung fridge has got your back.
The Samsung Family Hub fridges also have AI onboard that can recognise the food being placed inside.
Through the cameras inside users can also check what’s in the fridge from the shops to see what they need.
And they will also be able to see, with permission, what’s in their parents or grandparents fridge to ensure they have been grocery shopping.
SmartThings is also expanding to the car to bring contextual awareness to your driving experience.
Samsung’s subsidiary Harman is developing new in-vehicle avatars which can be your digital co-pilot to anticipate your needs and ensure you’re awake and alert.
Samsung has kicked off a SmartThings partnership with Hyundai EVs.
SmartThings will be able to locate the car and find out the best times to charge your EV based on the time of day if you have solar panels or the market price of electricity if you don’t.
And if there is a power outage it can activate Battery Backup Mode and draw power from your storage battery or your EV’s battery so it can keep appliances like the fridge running so food doesn’t spoil.
SmartThings in the car will make it possible to control and monitor your home’s smart devices and, using AI, also anticipate when you’re heading some so the oven can be pre-heated and ready to make dinner and the air conditioner turned on so it’s the right temperature when you arrive home.
* Stephen Fenech travelled to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas with support from Samsung, Hisense, LG, ASUS, Roborock and Ecovacs.
