AI powers next-gen smart homes: LG, samsung, haier lead charge
The gist
AI is transforming smart homes into seamless, personalized ecosystems, as LG, Samsung, and Haier unveil next-gen innovations that unify appliances, robotics, and entertainment for the ultimate connected living experience.
What to know
- By mid-2026, LG, Samsung, Haier, and DOOGEE are leading the charge on AI-powered home ecosystems that coordinate devices, robots, and services indoors and out.
- LG’s acquisition of Athom and the Homey hub enables cross-brand device control, while robust security is built in via the new Shield framework.
- TCL’s NXTHOME 'Seasonal Resonance' and LG’s α11 AI TVs deliver immersive, personalized entertainment, and Haier is fusing smart appliances with humanoid robots for adaptive living.
AI Ecosystems Break Boundaries
LG, DOOGEE, and Haier are redefining smart living by extending AI coordination across brands, household robots, and even outdoor spaces, with natural language agents and holistic device orchestration at the core.
By mid-2026, leading companies like LG and DOOGEE are pioneering AI-driven integrated home ecosystems that unify diverse appliances and services into seamless connected living experiences. LG’s AI Appliances Orchestra, showcased at IFA 2026, tailors its ecosystem to European lifestyles with an emphasis on personalization through its ThinQ Claw AI agent, which interprets natural language and user context to automate actions across devices. Meanwhile, DOOGEE’s AI Home Life Ecosystem introduces a novel triad approach—Outdoor Life, Smart Life, and Home Life—highlighting a holistic vision that extends AI connectivity beyond the household to outdoor and digital realms, simplifying daily routines and enhancing user convenience.
LG’s strategic acquisition of Athom and integration of the Homey smart home hub significantly expand its ecosystem’s interoperability, enabling seamless management of third-party devices and cross-brand connectivity. This move, coupled with the launch of ThinQ Pro targeting multi-family and commercial properties, signals LG’s ambition to scale AI-powered smart living beyond individual homes into broader smart-building markets. Underpinning these innovations is LG’s Shield framework, which prioritizes robust data security to protect user information across its increasingly interconnected device landscape.
Haier leverages its global appliance leadership and extensive market presence to develop an AI-powered home ecosystem that integrates a wide array of household appliances with advanced robotics, including humanoid robots and AI-powered exoskeletons. This comprehensive approach, unveiled under the “Intelligent Possibilities” banner at IFA 2026, emphasizes personalized and adaptive living experiences tailored to diverse local markets, demonstrating how AI can orchestrate coordination across laundry, refrigeration, cooking, cleaning, and entertainment domains to meet individual user needs.
Samsung’s AI-driven integrated home ecosystem, highlighted at IFA 2026 through Samsung Connect, showcases a broad synergy among its connected devices—from TVs and mobile phones to PCs and home appliances like the Bespoke AI washers. This ecosystem not only enhances entertainment and usability but also focuses on improving energy efficiency, reflecting Samsung’s commitment to creating a unified, intelligent platform that elevates everyday living through AI integration across multiple device categories.
Personalization at Every Turn
AI-driven platforms like TCL’s NXTHOME and DREO’s Air Intelligence now synchronize appliances, air quality, and even home aesthetics to user habits and seasonal moods for truly adaptive environments.
By mid-2026, AI-powered appliances have transcended basic automation to create deeply personalized and interconnected home environments. DREO’s Air Intelligence system exemplifies this trend by integrating environmental sensing with device coordination to optimize air quality responsively, while TCL’s NXTHOME platform introduces 'Seasonal Resonance,' an AI-driven feature that harmonizes colors, moods, and patterns across smart displays and interiors to reflect seasonal changes, enhancing ambiance and user experience holistically.
LG’s Fit & Max design philosophy advances AI integration by combining space-efficient form with intelligent functionality across multiple appliance categories. Their refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, and dishwashers not only fit flush within cabinetry but also leverage AI to learn usage patterns and detect load or soil levels, optimizing cooling, washing, and drying cycles to save time and energy. As Baek Seung-tae, LG’s Home Appliance Solution Company President, asserts, this approach ensures consumers no longer must compromise between appliance capacity and spatial constraints.
DOOGEE’s AI Home Life Ecosystem, unveiled at IFA 2026, demonstrates a holistic approach to smart living by integrating outdoor, digital, and household experiences under a unified AI connectivity framework. Their Flow 50 smart vacuum and NU60 ice maker showcase how AI enhances practical functionality—offering powerful suction with anti-tangle tech and intuitive touchscreen controls for ice production—while simplifying daily routines and personalizing user interactions across diverse lifestyle domains.
Haier’s AI-powered home ecosystem highlights the future of connected living by coordinating a broad spectrum of smart appliances and robotics to adapt dynamically to individual needs. Leveraging its global leadership and presence in over 200 countries, Haier integrates laundry, refrigeration, cooking, cleaning, entertainment, and digital services with humanoid robots and AI-powered exoskeletons, illustrating a sophisticated fusion of AI and robotics designed to deliver practical, localized value worldwide under the banner of 'Intelligent Possibilities.'
Conversational AI Meets Security
LG’s ThinQ Claw and AI TVs deliver proactive, context-aware smart home control while the Shield framework ensures robust data protection and seamless cross-brand device management.
By 2026, LG has significantly advanced the user experience in smart homes through its ThinQ Claw AI agent and AI-powered TVs, which leverage natural language processing and personalization to create seamless interactions. ThinQ Claw’s context-aware conversational intelligence interprets users’ schedules and preferences to proactively recommend or automate actions across connected appliances, while LG’s AI TVs utilize Voice ID, AI Chatbot, and AI Concierge features to tailor content and simplify troubleshooting. This integration of conversational AI and personalized media consumption reflects a broader shift toward intuitive, user-centric smart home environments.
Security remains a cornerstone of LG’s smart home strategy, embodied in its Shield framework that incorporates seven core technologies designed to safeguard user data and device integrity amid the growing software complexity of smart TVs and connected appliances. This robust security infrastructure not only protects individual consumers but also extends to multi-family and commercial property management through ThinQ Pro, underscoring LG’s commitment to comprehensive protection alongside advanced AI capabilities within its expanding smart ecosystem.
LG’s acquisition of Athom and integration of the Homey smart home hub marks a pivotal enhancement in cross-brand interoperability, allowing users to manage third-party devices seamlessly within the ThinQ platform. This strategic move broadens customization options and usability, positioning LG’s AI ecosystem as a versatile and inclusive smart home solution that transcends brand silos and adapts fluidly to diverse consumer needs.
Smart Energy, Smarter Homes
LG’s Home Energy Management System leverages real-time data and cross-brand integration to optimize renewable energy use and cost savings, signaling a new era of sustainable, connected living.
LG’s Home Energy Management System (HEMS), unveiled at IFA 2026, represents a significant leap in smart home sustainability by integrating real-time data from smart meters, solar panels, and EV chargers to seamlessly coordinate energy generation, storage, and consumption. This holistic approach not only optimizes energy use for cost savings but also advances environmental responsibility by maximizing renewable energy utilization within the home. Central to this innovation is the Homey smart home hub, developed by Athom and acquired by LG in 2024, which enables cross-brand interoperability and third-party device management, creating a connected ecosystem that enhances the effectiveness and flexibility of energy management solutions.
Immersive Entertainment Gets Smarter
TCL and LG’s latest AI-powered platforms blend adaptive visuals, cinematic audio, and personalized content with advanced security, creating seamless, secure entertainment experiences across every device.
By mid-2026, TCL and LG Electronics emerged as frontrunners in redefining immersive home entertainment through AI-powered visual ecosystems. TCL's NXTHOME™ platform, introduced at IFA 2026, features the innovative 'Seasonal Resonance' experience that dynamically adjusts home visuals and ambience to reflect seasonal moods, seamlessly integrating intelligent displays, appliances, and furniture. Complementing this, TCL’s unified visual ecosystem spans cinema, streaming, and gaming with flagship SQD-Mini LED displays, NXTPAPER mobile devices, and RayNeo smart glasses, illustrating AI's transformative role in creating cohesive, immersive media environments.
LG Electronics advanced this immersive narrative with its 2026 AI TV lineup, powered by the α11 AI Processor Gen3, which delivers a 5.6-fold boost in neural processing enabling AI Dual 4K Upscaling and Virtual 11.1.2-channel audio for unparalleled picture and sound quality. Beyond technical prowess, LG’s AI Appliances Orchestra showcased at IFA 2026 exemplifies a holistic AI ecosystem tailored to European lifestyles, blending entertainment with smart home integration to elevate user experience and convenience.
Crucially, LG underscores that immersive entertainment must be secure and personalized; its 2026 AI TVs incorporate features like Voice ID, AI Chatbot, and AI Concierge to tailor content recommendations and simplify troubleshooting, enhancing user engagement. Simultaneously, LG Shield integrates seven core security technologies and guarantees up to five years of complimentary webOS upgrades, reflecting a commitment to safeguarding user data and device integrity within AI-driven entertainment ecosystems.