The scene at home appliance exhibitions has changed from showcasing TV and refrigerator performance. In fact, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics will put the 'AI (artificial intelligence) ecosystem' at the forefront at IFA 2026, Europe's largest home appliance trade show, held on the 4th (local time) in Berlin, Germany. They are fully launching a competition to connect appliances, smartphones, wearables, and energy management through AI, drawing consumers' entire daily lives into their own ecosystems.
Samsung Electronics announced on the 2nd that it will operate an IFA 2026 exhibition hall at the 'Humboldt Carre' convention center in downtown Berlin until the 6th. This marks the first time the company has set up a standalone exhibition hall separate from the main IFA venue.
Samsung Electronics is operating its exhibition hall under the theme 'Your AI Daily Companion.' Building on last year's IFA slogan 'AI Home, Making Future Daily Life a Reality,' it expands the scope of AI activity from just inside the home to encompass leisure, health management, and all aspects of daily life. Rather than merely showcasing individual appliance functions, it presents 'AI Living'—where AI understands personal lifestyles and needs to support daily routines. The strategy is to demonstrate human-centric AI experiences that understand and respond to users. Additionally, at 'Messe Berlin,' where IFA 2026 is held, Samsung will showcase the 'Samsung Creator Hub' and conduct events for experiencing the Samsung AI ecosystem.
Samsung's weapon is its broad AI ecosystem spanning from mobile devices to home appliances. It connects smartphones, wearables, TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, and various other products through the smart home platform 'SmartThings.'
The 'Vision AI Companion' applied to 2026 model TVs provides answers to user questions and delivers personalized content and context-specific information based on conversational AI. This effectively expands the TV from a simple display into an AI interface within the home.
The Bespoke AI Family Hub refrigerator recognizes food ingredients using camera-based 'AI Vision' and suggests recipes. Through its touchscreen, users can check and control real-time power consumption of appliances connected throughout the house. Dishwashers and washing machines detect dish soiling levels and laundry conditions to optimize energy usage.
LG Electronics also emphasizes 'AI connectivity' over individual appliance functions. It presents a next-generation 'AI Home' that combines AI appliances, connected services, and situational awareness to understand users' lives and coordinate multiple devices and services.
The LG AI Home analyzes personal schedules, lifestyle patterns, home environments, and appliance usage information to recommend necessary actions and optimize device and service integration. Its goal is to reduce the time customers spend managing appliances and enhance convenience in daily life through customized recommendations based on actual usage environments.
The newly unveiled 'ThinQ Claw' is an AI agent that exemplifies this strategy. It identifies user intent and situations through text chat, then connects necessary devices and services. This represents an evolution from simply executing user commands to becoming an AI Home that understands contexts and determines required actions.
Benjamin Brown, Samsung Electronics' Global CMO for Europe, stated, "AI must provide meaningful benefits that people can directly see and feel in their daily lives," adding, "We will showcase examples of applying AI in practical and accessible ways across the entire home ecosystem."
in INDUSTRY
