AI takes shape at CES 2017

Models pose in front of Samsung Electronics’ booth at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in this file photo taken in January. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics

By Lee Min-hyung

Artificial intelligence (AI) will take on a more concrete shape at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2017 next week, with industry-leading electronics giants ― Samsung and LG ― planning to showcase new home appliances equipped with AI features.

In recent years, the CES has been all the rage with such themes as the Internet of Things (IoT), connected vehicles and smart TVs, with global IT firms hyping their latest technological achievements.

But AI is expected to start taking center stage as a new keyword, as appliance manufacturers as well as automakers here and abroad hinted at unveiling their new products driven by their AI brains at the upcoming events.

The move comes as the global technology industry is bracing for an AI-led paradigm shift, amid sluggish growth in such hardware-centered industries as smartphones. Global smartphone shipments this year will reach some 1.45 billion, growing only 0.6 percent from a year ago, according to market researcher IDC. Lack of innovation and oversupply from Chinese manufacturers have often been cited as the key reasons behind the ongoing slowdown in the handset industry.

Things are no different for other electronics devices. For this reason, LG Electronics plans to unveil its new home appliances equipped with deep learning technology, at the upcoming tech show in Las Vegas. The company already has its own smart home platform ― SmartThinQ ― which is used to connect its home appliances, such as air conditioners and television sets.

But in its bid to jump on the AI bandwagon, the firm has converged more deep learning functions into its new appliances ― such as robot cleaners and air conditioners ― to be showcased at the CES, according to the company.

LG explained that the new products are equipped with self-learning systems by analyzing each user’s lifestyle patterns through a variety of Wi-Fi sensors and datasets collected by its cloud system.

Samsung Electronics is also on a path to connect its devices through its own AI ecosystem. Last month, the firm unveiled its grand blueprint to equip its smart devices ― including handsets, refrigerators and TVs ― with its AI agent technology. At the upcoming tradeshow, the firm plans to unveil its new family hub refrigerator with voice recognition, allowing users to simply speak to the device to order drinks or foods.

IHS Markit also picked AI as one of the core technology trends for next year.

“Personified AI assistants from a handful of companies, including Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri, already have access to billions of users via smartphones and other devices,” said the London-based financial services firm. “But even bigger, more profound changes are on the way, as levels of human controls are ceded directly to AI as in autonomous cars and robots.”