Artificial intelligence (AI) was a hot topic at CES 2024, as it is poised to be throughout this year and beyond. It was all about how AI technology can be integrated into all types of products, from computers to home appliances, smart home gear, smartphones, and more. Here’s a look at some of the most interesting AI integrations announced at the show.
AI integration in laptops
Lenovo is just one of many computer brands making use of AI technology under its “AI for All” campaign. With the new Yoga Pro 9i and Yoga 9i, you’ll be able to access a dedicated Copilot AI key to use the available AI toold. This includes AI-generated features and content, even without an active Internet connection. You could type a prompt to generate images, for example. This is all part of the Lenovo Premium Suite, which also includes the Lenovo AI Now personal assistant that allows for adjusting settings with voice commands, searching e-mails, initiating video calls, and more. The computers are powered by the Lenovo AI Core Chip along with an Intel Core processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU to handle the faster visual performance requirements.
Asus also has some impressive laptops coming down the pipe for 2024, many of which feature the AI-enhanced Intel Core Ultra 5 processor and Windows Copilot AI assistant as well. Among them is the Asus Zenbook DUO, which Asus dubs the “world’s first” AI-powered 14-inch dual-screen laptop. It has a detachable wireless keyboard, built-in kickstand, and a massive 19,8-inch screen once it’s fully opened. They feature the AI-powered Intel Core Ultra and AMD Ryzen 8040 Series processors, making them fast, responsive, and offering fabulous graphic performance. All of the Asus Vivobook S series models also feature Windows 11 with Windows Copilot pre-installed along with a dedicated Copilot key and a taskbar icon that affords instant access to an AI-powered assistant.
There will also be AI-powered laptops from HP, including the new Spectre x360 that features neural processing units (NPUs) that HP says are designed to handle AI-driven features. This will not only help with accessing content but also in improving thermal performance and battery life, adjusting things like refresh rate, for example, based on the task at hand. The AI tool in the latest HP laptops is being called a “Superpower,” and the idea is to create a more personalized, intelligent, and connected computing experience. The personal AI assistant can do things like apply photo filters in Photoshop, create generative AI screenshots, and even summarize a topic or draft an e-mail for you.
AI for the smart home
On the smart home side, companies like Swann are leveraging AI to offer improved, more intelligent and proactive security. The Swann HomeShield AI Security Concierge with Doorbell won an Innovation Award at CES 2024. HomeShield automatically responds to visitors on your behalf in a natural way and can proactively implement other deterrent services for your home. When used with SwannBuddy4K Video Doorbell, HomeShield interacts naturally with humans to do things like accept deliveries, screen unfamiliar visitors, and welcome friends and family. The idea is to give the impression that there’s a real person on site, both for personalization of the experience as well as for security. You could tell a delivery person to leave the package on the doorstep, for example, even while you’re away on vacation then immediately contact a neighbour to get it from the porch for you once you review the footage.
What’s a high-tech smart home without high-tech robots? There were several at CES 2024 from both major and smaller brands, alike. A stand-out model is the LG Smart Home AI Agent that serves as both a robot companion and a home manager. You can converse with it like you would a human as it scoots around the home showing its “emotions” through articulating leg joints. Thanks to multi-model AI technology, it boasts voice and image recognition and natural language processing so it can understand not only commands but also intent and context. It can serve as a hub for all your connected smart home devices and boasts face and user recognition so it knows who is talking to it. It can gather environmental data like the temperature, humidity, and indoor air quality, act like a pet monitor, and even capture footage and send alerts if unusual activity is detected.
Samsung had its own interpretation as well with the return of Ballie (remember him?), a robot that does much the same, complete with AI technology. From an AI perspective, Ballie can send you messages to let you know what it’s doing and what it’s seeing, like that your pet is having a snack or making a mess. It can even send photos. It can control smart devices, interact with you, follow you, and more. The stand-out feature is its built-in projector that can show a movie, a video call, even a workout so you can continue following it from the ceiling while you lie on the floor to do crunches, for example.
Home appliances get smarter with AI
You’ll even find AI in home appliances. At CES 2024, Samsung introduced an AI-powered Bespoke Family Hub fridge. This 4-Door Flex fridge has the same touchscreen on the front as the existing Family Hub fridge along with built-in Wi-Fi. But now it also has AI Vision inside, which uses a smart camera to tell you what’s inside. You can also input expiration dates when you buy new items to get alerts when something is about to go bad. A Fridge Manager feature, meanwhile, monitors the status of the water filter to advise when you need to replace it.
Used alongside the Samsung Anyplace Induction cooktop and slide-in range is Family Hub+ that affords access to the Samsung Food application with new AI features. This makes it simple to adapt recipes to your dietary requirements or preferences, or even help you determine what to cook based on what’s in your fridge. It even connects to Samsung Health to create personalized meals for you based on your wellness journey.
Hisense showcased some exciting future concept AI appliances at the show as well, leveraging the company’s VIDAA smart TV OS. The concept shows how you can get inspiration from a cooking show, port the recipe to the kitchen, and adjust it based on your needs. This could be as simple as subbing in or adding an ingredient, or even changing the recipe for a different culinary feel: maybe you want to make pizza with an Indian twist or pasta with a Mexican angle. Everything works seamlessly, from the TV screen to the smart fridge, oven that preheats, and more.
We saw AI across the small appliances space, too. One of the most interesting small appliances we saw at CES 2024 is the Seergrills Perfecta, an AI-powered grille that uses NeuralFire technology to cook food not only quickly, but also intelligently. Place something inside the Dual Vertical Infrared Burner, from steaks to burgers, and it will intelligent determine the thickness and cook to the desired doneness, even the seer level.
Other AI tech
AI tech was available across so many categories. Horwin America, for example, showcases its SENMENRI series EV motorcycles that feature an AI-driven Advanced Rider Assistance System (ARAS). It collects information about you as you drive to help personalize the experience. The idea is to help prevent accidents and enhance your protection as well as your confidence.
Samsung is adding AI technology to its new line of Galaxy Book4 tablets, too, including the Galaxy Book4 Ultra, Galaxy Book4 Pro 360, and Galaxy Book4 Pro. They run on Intel’s AI PC Acceleration program, which includes more than 100 AI applications from independent software vendors. The processor enables new AI capabilities for users. For example, with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, generative AI-based creation tools are backed by NVIDIA Studio technology. You can create images with simple text in seconds with RTX-optimized Stable Diffusion. Gamers will love NVIDIA Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) technology, which creates higher quality images for over 500 ray-traced popular games and applications.
One much talked about device at the show is the Rabbit R1, a unique handheld device that’s about the size of a phone but almost looks like a retro device from the ‘90s. It can take photos and videos and features a built-in voice assistant. With a 2.3GHz MediaTek processor, 4GB memory, and 128GB storage, it can reportedly last for a full day per charge. What’s it’s purpose? It’s sort of like your personal AI assistant, a controller for apps that can trigger whatever you want: open a website, a specific program, send a message – you name it. You can even train it to do more complex things, like open a photo in Adobe Photoshop, add a watermark to it, then post it to your social channel. It can’t bring you coffee or pick up your dry cleaning. But for now, it’s a personal assistant for the average Joe that leverages AI technology so it can understand natural language commands.
While some companies are touting AI benefits of their products that aren’t really AI after all (it’s all about jumping on the bandwagon), AI is not a fad. It’s here to stay. If it can provide more personalized, customized, intelligent experiences both at home and on the go, it’s something worth embracing. We’re still in the early stages of AI, but if CES 2024 is any indication, AI technology is on the road to reaching every facet of our daily lives.
