Consumer devices will feature Tizen, Wi-Fi, touchscreens, contextual dialog understanding from Bixby, and Knox Vault with post-quantum cryptographic security
Regular bbcnewspapers readers will recall that I’m interested in the Samsung SmartThings-led smart home theme, as I consider it the most promising of all (if only for the reason that it’s the only one that allows you to, for example, control appliances when you leave the house – due to factors such as the user’s GPS positioning, the weather or the time of sunrise) and therefore use it in my own apartment. It seems that the 2024 joke about “AI from every iron” will cease to be a joke in a few years. Samsung’s presentation of home appliances called Welcome to Bespoke AI 2025 showed the further development of the industry. And it’s all about the further development of artificial intelligence, the increasing number of screens in household devices (it’s not just refrigerators anymore) and the overall growth of cognitive capabilities of the smart home. The devices are becoming so numerous that Samsung is using (yet another) term for them – “AI Home”. Such naming looks quite logical against the background of the fact that the concept of a smart home is transforming into the concept of a smart home with artificial intelligence. Because it’s already clear to everyone in 2025 that without artificial intelligence, your smart home won’t be so smart.
Consumer expectations: research
More screens in devices
Updated Bixby
Samsung’s 2025 household AI devices
Refrigerators with screens
Bespoke AI Jet Ultra upright vacuum cleaner Bespoke AI Jet Ultra vertical vacuum cleaner
AI ovens with screens
Dishwashers
Bespoke AI Laundry Combo washer/dryer
Samsung is focusing on three areas of smart home development this year:
Increasing cybersecurity – Knox will not only appear in smartphones, but also in refrigerators and in general will be installed in all household devices with displays).
Increase in the number of screens – washing machines and dryers, microwaves, ovens and even induction panels are added – the number of such devices has increased three times compared to last year, but, unfortunately, they will not be supplied to the Ukrainian market yet.
And new (let’s call them cognitive) capabilities of voice assistant Bixby – deeper understanding of the context and chain of voice commands, as well as understanding the voices of all family members (that is, the system will respond differently to voice commands depending on who speaks).
Samsung conducted a survey of consumers in the US, South Korea and the UK to investigate what users themselves expect from home appliances with artificial intelligence. The main insights: interacting with appliances should be intuitive, and appliances should save time and be productive (work better and faster). At the same time, consumers expect appliances to provide a “personalized experience” (takes into account consumers’ own habits and preferences) and improve home energy efficiency:
Automatically and unobtrusively perform household chores
Be easy to use for everyone (even people with digital disabilities, the elderly and children)
Minimize resource waste
Automatically detect situations and select optimal modes of operation
Track health-related information and provide recommendations
Help save time by integrating and working seamlessly with other devices
The company has analyzed research Samsung declares that it is committed to providing versatile solutions that are easy to use. Reduce energy consumption and take care of the owners of devices and their loved ones.
Increasing the number of screens in devices
The use of built-in screens is exactly the step that makes it possible to simplify interaction with devices (of course, it is more convenient than just a set of buttons with modes of operation without the ability to get feedback from the device). The example of the Family Hub refrigerator with a large screen that was launched in 2016 and the Bespoke AI Combo washer/dryer last year with a 7-inch screen showed great feedback from consumers (you bet – who would turn down a clear touchscreen interface instead of a bunch of LEDs). This year, Samsung is adding touchscreens to washers, dryers, ovens, and induction cooktops. And it’s building a larger, 9-inch screen into new refrigerators. Each such screen has a built-in hub to work with other devices (previously only found in smartphones, some TVs and Family Hub series refrigerators) and supports device control by voice and voice responses or messages. All new devices with screens will support Zigby, Matter and Thread technologies for use with more old and new devices designed for the smart home.
All new devices with screens will support Zigby, Matter and Thread technologies
Also, all devices will get a 3D map of the home with smart home devices placed on it. This feature first appeared in the SmartThings app for smartphones, then it was added to TVs, and last year, to refrigerators and the Bespoke AI combo machine. Now this map will be on all devices with a screen.
MapView will get all home devices with a screen
Starting this year, MapView will get all home devices with a screen. Illustration: Samsung
They have also updated the daily dashboard, where you can now see the two main things that interest us after waking up in the morning: the weather forecast and the list of things to do and appointments for the day. Also there can be, for example, a meal plan, if you use the recommendations of Samsung Health.
Daily Dashboard on all devices with a screen
A daily dashboard will be available on all devices with a screen.
Updated Bixby
Putting aside the fact that Bixby doesn’t support Ukrainian yet, here are the main things to know about its update. First of all, Bixby now understands chains of commands. If before you had to say “Bixby, start the vacuum cleaner” and “Bixby, start the washing machine”, now it’s enough to say “Bixby, start the washing machine after the vacuum cleaner finishes its work”. Let’s not analyze the practical sense of such a process here – why you can’t start the washing machine immediately after you’ve loaded the laundry into it, the main thing here is the new cognitive capabilities of artificial intelligence.
Bixby will better understand human speech
Bixby will better understand human speech by increasing cognitive capabilities. Illustration: Samsung
Secondly, Bixby can not only execute direct commands (the list of which was limited), but also better understand the context. During the presentation, Bixby was shown answering the question “What food in the refrigerator has an expiring shelf life?” – this uses the AI Vision camera to allow the fridge to identify products and track their shelf life. The important thing here is not to confuse this technology with AI Vision in TVs – they are different things. And after answering “Pumpkin expires in 2 days” you can say “recommend a vegan dish with it”. And then the AI will realize that it is about pumpkin, even though this word was not in the query.
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Third, Bixby can now recognize the different voices of the residents of a home (and identify them by voice without changing their SmartThings account). And this directly opens up a new space for a personalized approach to smart home management. The presentation gave what I think is an accurate example with finding a smartphone (familiar problem, right?) With the command “Bixby, help me find my phone” the AI will start an alarm clock exactly on its owner’s smartphone (by voice), not the account holder’s smartphone. Of course, for this to happen, the SmartThings app must be activated on the smartphone.
Accordingly, in order for all these hub and spoke screens and artificial intelligence to work, an operating system is (finally) coming to the home appliances! And that OS is, of course, as you might guess -Tizen, used in Samsung TVs. The new devices where Tizen will appear are Family Hub refrigerators, dishwashers and Bespoke AI Combo washing machines.
Tizen operating system into consumer devices
The Tizen operating system is coming to consumer devices. Illustration: Samsung
In general, the increase in smart appliances is important for the smart home because the more smart home devices you have in your home, the more you will benefit from the interactions between them through automation scenarios. Samsung announced that 340 manufacturers of various smart home appliances have already joined the SmartThings ecosystem. During the presentation, it was demonstrated how the Family Hub refrigerator sends a notification of an unlocked door and the speaker launches a robot vacuum cleaner with a camera in patrol mode, which finds (and allows you to communicate by voice) with her mom, who came to surprise her. What matters here is not an artificial situation of dubious practicality, but the fact that Samsung successfully exploits synergies between its own devices. Even skeptical I can not help but admit that the idea of using a robot vacuum cleaner as a mobile IP-camera is just great in terms of practical use. Well, who else among manufacturers will offer you a mobile IP camera that can move around the house? And this is not even the main function of the robot vacuum cleaner, because its main task is cleaning.
It’s worth adding that all these AI devices will receive (like smartphones!) software updates, which will open up new possibilities due to new learning neural networks. This applies, for example, to increasing the types of products that refrigerators will recognize or new possibilities for robotic vacuum cleaners.
Knox Vault
with post-quantum cryptographic protection in home appliances
A smart home with artificial intelligence is undoubtedly a significant step forward, but with each new digital device connected to the smart home system, data security risks increase. Including confidential data (passwords, access codes to payment systems). That’s why Samsung introduces Knox Vault protection in household devices with Wi-Fi: all of them receive a special Knox cryptographic chip and new mathematical algorithms of post-quantum cryptographic protection (we have a separate article about what post-quantum cryptography is and why it is important today). This will allow devices to monitor each other for potential security threats. If the system detects a potential risk, it will send a message to the user and take action.
But now Samsung has gone a step further and added blockchain to the Knox Vault! The new private blockchain capability is called Knox Matrix Trust Chain. It also applies to all Wi-Fi enabled home devices and adds another dashboard related to security and user data protection. And it allows you to monitor system health in real time. Pass Key biometric identification will also appear on devices. This will allow you to use biometrics instead of having to memorize complex (I hope you have complex passwords?).
Knox Matrix Trust Chain into home devices
New devices will get blockchain-enabled security – Knox Matrix Trust Chain. Illustration: Samsung
Samsung’s 2025 household AI devices
Among the devices presented were refrigerators (they claim to be the family’s main screen after TV in the near future), smart ovens with cameras, an interesting and energy-efficient series of washer-dryers, a dishwasher and a new upright vacuum cleaner with increased power. All with displays and new or updated over the last year AI algorithms that should make humanity’s life easier.
Refrigerators with screens
In 2025, Samsung will launch 3 series of large refrigerators with screens. Models with 21.5-inch and 32-inch screens will be joined by 9-inch screens (a more economical option to maximize the spread of technology).
The refrigerators of 2025 will have three features: touch screens for user interaction (plus speakers and microphones for voice commands), AI Hubrid Cooling technology (the Peltier module familiar to gamers will be added to the compressor), which will cool the refrigerator more efficiently and reduce power consumption. And new materials that allow to reduce the thickness of the walls and, accordingly, increase the space inside the refrigerator (this is a further development of the SpaceMax concept). The new built-in refrigerators will only need a 4 mm gap between the refrigerator and the wall.
Side-by-Side models will be many (in Ukraine there will be presented several models, by the way, even with Auto Open Door system – the door will open after a light touch to the touch panel). They promise that AI Energy mode will reduce electricity consumption by 10%.
Samsung Side-by-Side refrigerator
The older ones will get a built-in AI Vision camera, which will be able to independently identify more types of products (now it is 37 types). Here’s a demo of the features on a new refrigerator with a 9-inch screen. There’s a dashboard, MapView, phone lookup, and automatic door opening (like in the trunks of expensive cars)
Bespoke AI Jet Bot Steam Ultra
The new Bespoke AI Jet Bot Steam Ultra robot vacuum cleaner is coming in 2025 to replace the steam sanitized Jet Bot Combo AI. It features Knox protection, can recognize obstacles up to 1 cm high and navigate through thresholds or mats. It recognizes corners and walls, allowing it to better clean in places difficult for other robots. The Bespoke AI Jet Bot Steam Ultra also has better spill recognition – normally clear liquids are difficult for RGB robot cameras to recognize, but the Bespoke AI Jet Bot Steam Ultra has an additional infrared sensor to better recognize even clear liquids and prevent it from moving across carpets with wet brushes – it lifts the nozzles to avoid contamination. The Bespoke AI Jet Bot Steam Ultra can also be used as a mobile IP camera with two-way voice communication.
Bespoke AI Jet Bot Steam Ultra robot vacuum cleaner
Vertical vacuum cleaner Bespoke AI Jet Ultra
We have already written about this vacuum cleaner. And hopefully we will make its review. Now I’ll just remind you of the main advantages. Its main trick is the AI Cleaning mode, which independently analyzes the type of coating, the amount of dust and the load on the brush, and then selects the optimal power level. This reduces energy consumption by up to 21%, without sacrificing efficiency. The vacuum cleaner has a HexaJet motor with up to 400 watts of power, runs for up to 160 minutes with two batteries and weighs just 2.8 kg. It also supports Smart Wi-Fi, syncs with the SmartThings app, sends smartphone notifications while cleaning, and recognizes even corners thanks to the Slim LED Brush+. All this with the updated AI 2.0, certified to international standards.
Bespoke AI Jet Ultra upright vacuum cleaner
The most powerful vacuum cleaner in its class, the Bespoke Jet AI Ultra. Illustration: Samsung
AI ovens with screens
AI ovens will get more than just screens. Some models will have a built-in camera, which will not only allow you to take interesting photos for Instagram, but will also recognize products and offer automatic recipes (this is called AI Pro Cooking), where the oven itself will control the temperature and cooking time (actually, it’s like a multicooker, but more technological). If a manual recipe is used 5 times, the cabinet will offer to add it to its own recipe library. The camera will also automatically shut down the oven if something starts to burn.
Ovens with AI Pro Cooking
Dishwashers
Dishwashers with AI got automatic door opening, a special place in the top for 6 cups. And special turbidity sensors (turbidity sensors), which will assess the state of contamination of dishes and optimize modes of operation for the best cleaning with minimal use of water and energy.
Dishwashers with a special compartment for cups
Bespoke AI Laundry Combo
Dryers are certainly great (those who use them will confirm that they can no longer understand their lives without them – they are as important an invention of mankind as a refrigerator or a vacuum cleaner). But they need extra space next to the washing machine. Last year Samsung released a combo device with AI and a heat pump (they existed before, of course, but without AI). The model was a success, and this year the company is releasing the next model – the Bespoke AI Laundry Combo. It uses AI-controlled ventilation instead of a heat pump (although heat pump models will also remain in the 2025 lineup). It will have 24 and 27-inch working compartments (that’s quite a lot of space, actually, and it’s the world’s first such model). It has an accelerated mode of operation, allowing you to complete a wash and dry cycle in 68 minutes. And it also has a special mechanism that allows you to clean the filter in one motion! If you haven’t figured out what the big deal is here yet, dryer owners will tell you that you have to clean the filter literally after every cycle of operation. Not that it’s difficult or unpleasant (although it’s not very pleasant, fact), but cleaning the filter in one motion is cool (the video below shows it at minute 3). You can also see in the video about sensors that recognize fabric type. All of this provides better results in less time and less water and energy consumption – actually what we mean when we talk about performance efficiency.
In the dry
It’s common nowadays to talk about how AI is revolutionizing our world, but we all already know that. In fact, not much will change in our lives from this presentation. But! The real change we will feel only when all these devices reach our homes and settle in them. Forever. The only way to speed up this wonderful time is to start using them. And then it will be the real AI revolution. In general, it is difficult for a person to realize how artificial intelligence algorithms are used in household devices, but they all really work. Although the noticeable effect will be only when it all works together. The same savings with AI Energy is hardly noticeable on one device, but if every household device at home will use algorithms to optimize consumption and efficiency (for example, the air conditioner will automatically turn off if you are not home) – the difference in electricity bills will be noticeable to the naked eye.
From all presented novelties Side-by-Side refrigerator models and Bespoke AI Jet Ultra upright vacuum cleaner will be sold in Ukraine. The official start of sales is already in April, and by the end of 2025 we will still be waiting for a new robot vacuum cleaner Bespoke AI Jet Bot Steam Ultra.
For those who want to know more
What is post-quantum cryptography?
How it works: my own experience of using SmartThings smart home ecosystem
The magic of automation: when you don’t even need a smartphone to control your smart home
Smart home today: where to start and what to look out for
Artificial intelligence in household devices: how does it work?
