Smart home integration: how Samsung and LG are driving personalised solutions in the domestic AI ecosystem
- AI and wireless technology are taking seamless integration and control of smart home platforms and mobile apps to the next level
An early scene from sci-fi film Atlas – released in May this year – saw Jennifer Lopez’s character, Atlas Shepherd, roused from sleep by an AI assistant. The “software” also opens the curtains to let in sunlight, and reports the time, weather, temperature and air quality. It controls various home appliances, keeps up constant chatter, brews Shepherd’s coffee, plays chess with her and switches on the television, all at the same time.
AI smart home solutions
LG Electronics (LG) is one of the main players working to make this scene a reality. The technology firm recently acquired 80 per cent of Athom, a Dutch smart home platform company, with plans to buy the remaining 20 per cent within three years.
The merger aims to create an AI home solution that better meets customers’ needs. According to LG, generative AI will be used to manage appliances and Internet of Things devices, crafting personalised environments suited to user preferences.
LG hopes to lead in AI-driven home innovations by integrating Athom’s capabilities with its interpretation of AI as “Affectionate Intelligence”.
The AI-powered ThinQ platform, already packed with features such as Out of Home Control, Smart Notice, Smart Diagnosis and Smart Routines, will gain more connectivity and greater intelligence.
“The acquisition of Athom is a cornerstone of our AI home business,” said Jung Ki-hyun, LG Electronics executive vice-president and head of the brand’s Platform Business Centre.
“By leveraging the synergy between the two companies, we will expand our open ecosystem and external integration services, aiming to provide customers with more diverse and multidimensional experiences,” Jung said.
LG’s latest move to integrate Athom’s smart home platform with its AI technology further advances the company’s transition from a hardware maker to a software-based solutions provider.
