Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
Samsung, LG to showcase AI-embedded appliances at IFA 2024
Models introduce Samsung Electronics' booth at the IFA 2024 consumer electronics exhibition at Messe Berlin, Germany, Thursday (local time). Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
By Nam Hyun-woo
Tech giants seek to captivate audiences with AI-home solutions
BERLIN — Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are set to unveil advanced appliances and services powered by artificial intelligence (AI) during the IFA 2024.
Alongside the tech giants, more than 2,200 companies, including 127 Korean businesses, will participate in the consumer electronics exhibition, which marks its 100th anniversary this year. The show will run from Friday to Tuesday at Messe Berlin under the theme “Innovation for All.”
Reflecting on the megatrend of AI, both Samsung and LG styled their respective booths with AI-powered home appliances and services.
Samsung Electronics' exhibition at the IFA 2024 / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
‘AI for all’
Occupying 6,017 square meters at City Cube Berlin, Samsung will set up its booth under the theme “AI for All” to present a wide range of AI-powered products and services, demonstrating how AI can enhance everyday life through smarter, more integrated technology.
At the exhibition, Samsung showcases how AI will enhance the company’s connected appliance platform SmartThings in terms of security, privacy, sustainability, seamless connectivity and B2B scalability. Samsung acquired SmartThings in 2014 to use it as the internet-of-things (IoT) platform for the company’s home appliances, and it now boasts over 350 million users globally.
One of the interesting features introduced at the booth is Flex Connect, which helps reduce energy consumption during peak hours. Samsung has also collaborated with Tesla to showcase SmartThings Energy, a service that monitors solar power generation and optimizes power usage of electric vehicle batteries.
Samsung’s B2B solutions are also on display, with SmartThings Pro extending the platform’s capabilities into commercial spaces such as hotels, stores and offices. This expansion allows for efficient management of not only appliances but also IoT devices like lighting, climate control and security cameras.
Samsung also presents a SmartThings variation for B2B use, named SmartThings Pro. It extended the platform’s capabilities into commercial spaces such as hotels, stores and offices, allowing for efficient management of not only appliances but also IoT devices like lighting, climate control and security cameras.
Models present Samsung Electronics' AI-embedded Bespoke AI washers and dryers at the company's booth at the IFA 2024 consumer electronics exhibition at Messe Berlin, Germany, Thursday (local time). Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
During the exhibition, Samsung introduces major upgrades to its AI-powered Bespoke home appliance family, allowing each appliance to understand multiple commands in a single sentence, remember previous conversations to execute subsequent commands and give immediate answers to users’ questions about the devices.
Other new features are also unveiled. Voice ID recognizes different users’ different voices to execute respective commands and Ambient Sensing pinpoints users’ location to activate the screens of appliances that are close to the user. The two features are set to roll out in 2025.
Along with the new technologies, Samsung will display Bespoke AI series during the show, including the Bespoke AI Combo washer and dryer and the Bespoke AI Steam robot vacuum cleaner.
To consolidate its leadership in the global TV market, Samsung showcases a series of transparent micro LED displays featuring a combination of high transparency and a bezel-less design. These screens are intended to play a central role in the AI-powered home setup that Samsung presented at its booth.
Models introduce LG Electronics' booth at the IFA 2024 consumer electronics exhibition at Messe Berlin, Germany, Thursday (local time). Courtesy of LG Electronics
‘Intelligent home’
LG Electronics sets up its booth under the theme “Experience, Affectionate Intelligence Home” and first unveils ThingQ ON, a generative AI-embedded home hub that connects home IoT devices.
Users can interact with ThinQ ON through voice communication like they would with family or friends. The generative AI understands the context of conversations and the surrounding environment, allowing it to manage home appliances and IoT devices to provide optimal care for the user.
LG highlights how its AI-based appliances, such as smart TVs, washers, dryers and air conditioners, help people maintain their different lifestyles.
At the exhibition, LG also showcases the integration of AI into its hardware technologies, demonstrating how AI optimizes product performance and energy efficiency by analyzing the environment.
The AI Direct Drive motor, featured in LG washing machines and dryers, analyzes the weight, fabric type and level of soiling in the laundry to select the optimal washing motion that best protects the clothes.
Models present LG Electronics' generative artificial intelligence (AI) home hub, LG ThingQ ON, at the company's booth at Messe Berlin, Germany, Thursday (local time). Courtesy of LG Electronics
In addition to enhancing everyday convenience, LG is focused on contributing to a sustainable future by improving energy efficiency. The company’s high-efficiency heat pump air conditioning systems use AI to analyze energy consumption and optimize heating and cooling modes based on environmental factors such as time of day and weather conditions.
“LG Electronics will lead the era of AI home by introducing our AI home solutions that understand and empathize with customers to enhance their daily lives,” Lyu Jae-cheol, president of LG Electronics’ Home Appliance & Air Solution division, said.
Collaboration with partners
Among Korean telecom companies, KT will participate in the IFA 2024. KT is attending the event with its 10 domestic partner companies to support promising small and medium-sized enterprises in entering the global market.
All of the partner companies are AI-related service providers including Qanda, Superb AI and Lablup, and they will be using the exhibition as a stage for drawing investments.
KT will present its generative AI content services, including Travel View and Objet Book. Objet Book automatically extracts key keywords from a book and creates images and videos based on those keywords. This is combined with AI-generated background music and voice dubbing to produce video content.