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There’s a new trend dominating every tech show this year, in particular Home technology I saw it at the IFA 2025 (Innovation for All) event in Berlin. Companies are put you have everywhere In their marketing information and products – even if it doesn’t make sense.
Technology enthusiasts are already arguing What does artificial intelligence mean?if some techniques Such chatbots are actually artificial intelligence Is it certain? Artificial intelligence features It’s even worth having (especially at the expense of privacy). Brands cloud the water, and that doesn’t help. Here are my biggest concerns: Are all these new AI nomenclature actually AI, and if so, can they really help buyers?
Read more: Instant software threatens to take over AI and smart homes: here’s how to protect yourself
When is AI actually AI?
AI, like Samsung’s Bespoke software, sounds fancy, but sometimes it’s just the basic algorithms underneath.
When I say AI was everywhere at IFA, I mean it. The buzzword appeared in SwitchBot’s fuzzy bear robots And quick wall decorations too Roborock’s Smart Mapping Robot Lawn Mowers and Hisense Refrigerator Manuals For recipes. Samsung It brought all three of its AI brands to IFAwith Bespoke AI for devices, Vision AI for home entertainment, and Galaxy AI for its phones. And it’s better to believe That voice assistants They are now called “AI voice assistants” whenever possible.
But when too many companies throw around this AI tag, it starts to lose its meaning. How many of these new devices actually carry the modern definition of artificial intelligence? I mean co-generative artificial intelligence, It is usually run by LLMsWhich we see every day in form Google Gemini and ChatGPTWhich can summarize information and “talk” to us in conversational ways. Many of them have some generative capabilities, but they are called artificial intelligence in the same sense Complete chatbots It is a stretch at best.
Other uses of AI explain that it is a branding term, something to do with marketing needs To be these days. It’s disappointing and confusing when there aren’t the standard AI features that can be found in an AI-branded product. For example, when Samsung says its custom AI can save the energy it uses Washing machinesIt appears to be referring to the algorithms and sensors that control wash cycles, something that wouldn’t have been called “artificial intelligence” just a few short years ago.
Steps like this could reduce the cost of the term and distract from products that already have built-in AI — when everything is AI, nothing is. Or at least people are starting to feel that way, and it’s a marketing problem that companies are only just beginning to face.
On the other hand, props For Lepro lighting companywhich came to IFA ready to explain that its voice assistant was actually created with an LLM trained in design concepts to help choose the right colors associated with a variety of activities. Details like this make it easier to see if AI actually exists and what it does (which is also useful for me as a reviewer).
When is AI worth getting?
How do you know which AI features are worth it in your home? You allow us to test them.
The rise of AI brands creates another dilemma: Is AI worth it in a smart home? Are these AI-branded features worth their often high prices? This is a more difficult question. In some cases, sure – especially if you want to Artificial intelligence trained to recognize specific faces Or scan the videos for you.
In other scenarios, AI doesn’t add much at all. Hisense has made a big effort to add AI to all of its IFA announcements. But some examples didn’t work, like the AI voice assistant in the U8 S Pro air conditioner, which feels like just a voice assistant and not even an advanced one, and is limited to just 18 voice commands. Advertised AI cooking agent and AI washing agent in Kitchen technology They seem completely unnecessary, as we engage in everyday tasks that we already know how to do or can find more teachable evidence With fast google or Question for a smart screen.
SwitchBot’s innovative AI art framework looks fun and innovative, but it won’t make your life easier.
Even SwitchBot’s innovative E Ink AI photo frame, which I can’t wait to try, has a certain “Why do I need this?” Quality to it. Many of the latest AI batches suffer from this. We only have so much space in our homes and lives For new smart technology: AI works best when it saves us time and headache, and doesn’t create more for us to manage.
This is the part where I fire my fire, and all of us testers here at CNET. We don’t expect the typical tech buyer to have the time or energy to explore all these details or test voice assistants with every command. this Why we review devices, PhonesAnd applications Chat botsTo know what is worth it, what makes life better, Which has privacy issues, Who hallucinates a lot And all those other grim details. When so many products are called AI this or AI that, you need experts to pan for gold. IFA 2025 has brought me a whole new list of technologies to check out.
If you want home security ideas, check this out What I like about AI for home security And see if it can help you too.
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