CES 2018 appears to be all about artificial intelligence.
Technology companies clearly believe that consumers want their daily lives to be enriched with clever assistants and smart gadgets such as internet connected appliances and TVs that you can talk to.
But LG may have just confirmed why most people still don’t really trust this latest technology.
The Korean technology firm has just revealed a swathe of gadgets that are all controlled and powered via AI.
The concept is supposed to be simple with devices such as smart fridges monitoring food expiry dates and suggesting recipe ideas based on what ingredients you have in the kitchen.
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LG also wants to help you in the home with a new robot called CLOi.
This cute machine has been designed to interact with all of your smart gadgets offering help to the cook the tea and get the weekly wash load on.
However, during today’s presentation, LG’s vice president of marketing for LG Electronics USA, David VanderWaal, faced the same issue many consumers have with their internet connected gadgets on a daily basis.
The first part of the demo appeared to go without a glitch with CLOi’s eyes lighting up and her happily chatting back to the boss, but when Mr VanderWaal asked CLOi to set the ideal setting for the connected washing machine he was faced with stoney silence.
Twice more he tried to spring CLOi back into action with recommendations for the evening’s tea but she wasn’t playing ball – staying a quiet as a church mouse.
It’s an embarrassing moment for LG but one that isn’t rare when dealing with these type of devices.
And this is problem with homes getting smart.
When it works there’s no questioning how good it can be, but these connected gadgets can still be so hit miss.
By the time you’ve endlessly asked your cooker to switch on or your lights to dim, you might as well have saved all the agro and turned the knob yourself.
Voice control and internet-powered devices will continue to improve and there’s no getting away from the fact that they will invade your home at some point in the next few years.
But technology companies need to work hard to iron out these glitches if consumers are to be convinced that smart homes really are the future.