TV giants home in on AI-centered lifestyles

Dazzling televisions that routinely star at the CES in Las Vegas are getting ever smarter with an eye toward being at the heart of AI-centered lifestyles.

TV titans like LG, Samsung and TCL are packing ever more artificial intelligence into stunning, huge screens that are inching toward being digital assistants capable of chatting with users and other devices in homes, some with the help of Google or Microsoft.

South Korea's LG touted the arrival of "Affectionate Intelligence" in which home appliances watch over people - from tracking how well they sleep to making sure they remember to take an umbrella when rain is in the forecast.

It announced a strategic partnership with Microsoft to put Copilot AI to use in its consumer electronics.

LG and Microsoft are working on AI "agents" for homes, cars, hotels and other "spaces" and plan to develop some that not only understand and interact with customers but also predict their needs.

Its plan for connected homes governed by AI would enable non-LG devices to synch with the network.

Chinese TV titan TCL announced a new QM6K line of premium TVs starting at US$800 (HK$6,240) , along with a partnership with Google to build the internet giant's Gemini AI into some models.

"With the Gemini model and new hardware capabilities like the proximity sensor and the far field microphones, we will be able to unlock whole new use cases that will evolve how you interact with your TV," said Google vice president of TV platforms Shalini Govil-Pai.

She described Gemini-enhanced TVs as hubs for knowledge and managing connected devices in homes and said the AI features will start rolling out this year to Google TV devices and some TCL models.

China's Hisense said it is working Google "Home" software into its line-up of products to enable "true home automation."

Samsung Electronics, meanwhile, has an "AI for All" roadmap aimed at making AI an "every day, everywhere" experience.

Samsung executives said that its devices from sensor-packed wearables to televisions were increasing intuitive and collaborative interactions with the help of AI.

"It's the age of Home AI," said Jonathan Gabrio, head of the Connected Experience Center at Samsung Electronics America.

"We've brought intelligent, powerful and personalized experiences leveraging every breakthrough advancement we can dream up to make AI work for you."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE