CES Las Vegas 2024: Some of AI’s best work happens in the background, says Samsung

Some of the best applications for AI can take place without the average person ever knowing it’s made their life better, electronics giant Samsung has told the CES in Las Vegas.

Samsung Electronics chief Jong-Hee Han at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Picture: AFP

Tech giants have set their AI focus on making things more personal in the belief that giving consumers the ability to set their device to perform the way they wish is the key to a lasting relationship.

There’s also a focus on using the technology to perform in a way that may not be obvious but will bring efficiency and further ease to consumers’ lives, according to Samsung chief executive Jong-Hee Han.

Speaking at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Mr Han shared his vision of what the company calls “AI for all”, which at first glance appears to be about having technology connect behind the scenes – or rather in the home with little input from the owner.

That ability would help the average consumer save time and the stress associated with setting up new appliances and devices in the home.

“For many of us, time may be the most important resource and AI has the potential to save a lot of it for us,” he said.

However, Samsung Australia head of consumer devices Jeremy Senior said recognising the power of AI and then using it required consumers to actively learn.

People look at shower heads at the Kohler Company exhibit. Picture: AFP

One of the key priorities for the company had been a focus on what it calls calm technology which is about ensuring devices can recognise each other as well as the products from other brands. This will later help them connect, he said.

“Our focus on calm technology is to remove those barriers to connectivity to make it easy for consumers to bring devices together and maximise the benefit to them out of having them connected, and the accessibility to other brands and other products through our open networks,” Mr Senior said.

Samsung recognised that in order for the average person to benefit from the mass integration of AI and devices connected via a network, the company had a role to play.

“As a leading brand in this space we need to be ensuring that we’re communicating strongly, and raising that awareness for consumers,” Mr Senior said.

“So much of the benefit depends on the consumer, the balance of their ecosystem and what they’re actually interested in.”

Part of that education piece took place at CES where displays showed how a handful of devices could turn items such as an analogue exercise bike into a smart device, or how a television could play a role in telehealth.

A person lies in a red light wrap at the Dr Fuji/Acigi booth during the Consumer Electronics Show. Picture: AFP

Mr Senior said that how AI allowed customers to personalise their devices or actions wasn’t just a tool but something consumers had begun to demand.

“I think that the next generation of consumers really want to have more control over the personalisation of their devices, whether that be personalisation of a digital platforms or personalisation of a physical product,” he said.

At Korean rival LG, chief executive William Cho said the company’s focus was on its AI – which he dubbed “affectionate intelligence” – staying on devices rather than in the “cloud” in order to ensure people’s data stayed in their homes.

“We recognise AI technology is one of the most essential enablers. We are all facing a historical time point. And we … have been thinking very hard about what our role and responsibilities are,” Mr Cho said.

“While others may concentrate on the evolution of AI technology, LG’s focus lies in how AI can actually make a difference in the real world, providing the tangible benefits to our customers.

“We have a unique opportunity to leverage the real life data gathered from the millions of LG smart products … of course, with your explicit permission. Our data is not limited to online interactions … but your interactions with real devices, the actual environment around you and your behaviour patterns, and even your emotional state such as tone of your voice, conversational nuance and facial expressions.”

LG vice-president and head of its Platform Business Centre Jung Ki-hyun said the company aimed to develop AI systems to promote safe behaviour and ensure the security of personal data.

He said LG would open its ThinQ AI platform to other developers.

“We are going to make LG ThinQ one of the most open platforms in this field,” Mr Jung said.

“We simply have to because no one company, even LG, can do everything for us.”

The authors travelled to CES individually as guests of Samsung and Hisense.