"I'm off now."
After leaving a short message on KakaoTalk, AI (artificial intelligence) identifies the user's current location, travel time to home, and preferred indoor temperature. It then proactively asks whether to turn on the air conditioner and air purifier based on the expected arrival time. Once the user replies "Do that," various appliances begin operating automatically. This is LG Electronics' AI agent 'ThinQ Clo'.
One of the key trends running through 'IFA 2026', which concluded on the 8th (local time), was 'the end of housework'. This year, IFA attracted 240,000 visitors, a 9% increase from last year, and participating brands rose to 2,000, up 5%.
At IFA 2026, the focus shifted from competing on adding various functions to appliances toward reducing how much operation and judgment humans must perform. Countless AI systems and humanoid robots that took the stage ultimately evolved to make situational judgments and proactively propose and execute necessary tasks on behalf of people.
LG Electronics also set 'Zero Labor Home' as its ultimate goal, showcasing a range of AI-powered appliances and solutions. ThinQ Clo understands user speech and life context, then bundles required appliances and services into a single execution plan for proactive suggestions. For example, upon checking children's vacation schedules, it adjusts cooling and cleaning times during the day; when sent photos of supermarket flyers, it proposes menus considering ingredients and family eating habits. The company aims to officially launch the system within this year.
Baek Seung-tae, Head of LG Electronics' Home Appliance Business Division (Executive Vice President), stated on the 5th during a local media interview: "Until last year, we emphasized connectivity for appliances like washing machines and refrigerators equipped with AI functions. This year, rather than simple connectivity, we aimed to demonstrate how each appliance understands customers' spaces and lifestyles, makes independent judgments, and executes tasks—showing the direction toward 'Zero Labor Home' in daily life."
Samsung Electronics also adopted 'Your AI Daily Companion' as its exhibition theme, showcasing how AI reduces user concerns. Its AI refrigerator recognizes internal ingredients and, when users select items, recommends dishes that can be prepared using them while providing cooking instructions. The washing machine optimizes energy consumption by using AI to determine the level of soiling, required detergent amount, and optimal operating mode. A Samsung Electronics representative explained: "The paradigm is shifting from people adapting their lifestyles to electronic products toward products adapting to people's daily lives."
German appliance brand Miele adopted 'The end of housework is in sight' as this year's IFA slogan. Co-CEO Markus Miele emphasized: "'The end of housework' does not mean the disappearance of cooking or enjoying home experiences, nor human participation. The core lies in technology gradually taking over repetitive tasks and decision-making, thereby reducing the effort, uncertainty, and complexity that humans must personally bear."
He further noted: "It is not the goal for AI to provide more functions and choices. What matters is making complex technologies invisible to customers and helping them reach desired outcomes with fewer judgments." Miele's new dishwasher uses cameras and AI to identify dish types and arrangements, adjusting cleaning methods accordingly. Appliances now handle even the judgment previously made by humans when selecting cleaning courses.
China's Xiaomi, participating in IFA for the first time this year, demonstrated a home that eliminates even the need for commands. In a bedroom, when a user picked up a book without speaking, AI connected to the home camera recognized the intent to read, adjusted the mattress angle, and turned on the air conditioner and air purifier. The curtains also closed automatically. Xiaomi described this as "evolution from homes that respond to commands to homes that proactively understand user intentions." TCL and Hisense also showcased technologies connecting appliances with users' daily lives through AI.
Home humanoid robots, by taking over human tasks, align with 'the end of housework'. At CES 2026, the world's largest consumer electronics and IT exhibition, LG Electronics' home robot Cloid demonstrated performing household chores such as moving and folding laundry. At this year's IFA, it assumed a role directing multiple appliances, symbolically presenting a future where AI coordinates the entire home.
Head Baek added: "Products will recognize customers and situations autonomously without conscious effort from users, connecting devices and services, ultimately delivering invisible care through physical AI as its pinnacle. While tasks like loading, unloading, and moving laundry cannot yet be achieved with a single product, we are in the process of executing this."
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