As CES 2026, the world's largest IT and home appliance exhibition, kicked off on the 6th in Las Vegas, Korea, China and Japan's leading corporations are competing in artificial intelligence (AI). From Korea, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics; from China, TCL and Hisense; and from Japan, Sony and Panasonic are the standard-bearers. At this year's CES, they unveiled evolved technologies so consumers can experience AI more closely in everyday life.
◇ Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics expand AI home ecosystem with theme of "freedom from housework"
CES is a stage where innovative corporations from around the world gather to showcase cutting-edge technologies. According to the organizer, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), CES 2026 is expected to draw more than 4,500 corporations from some 160 countries, and this year's theme is "rise of the innovators." CTA President Kinsey Fabrizio said, "We will see more convergence between the physical and digital at CES," and this year will see a slew of advanced AI appliances and robots unveiled.
Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics both showcased AI homes at this year's CES with "freedom from housework" as the core theme. Aiming for "freedom from housework," Samsung Electronics presented AI technology under the vision of "home companion," while LG Electronics built an AI home pavilion under "Zero Labor Home." Regardless of the types of new products unveiled, the strategy is to connect them with AI to enhance everyday convenience through an expanded AI ecosystem.
Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics introduced solutions in which AI-enabled appliances automatically handle chores—such as managing ingredients or adjusting a home's temperature—without users having to pay attention. Samsung Electronics said it equipped its premium refrigerator with Google's Generative AI Gemini for the first time in appliances to expand food recognition and will also extend AI technology to laundry appliances and cooking devices. LG Electronics unveiled an AI home ecosystem that adjusts the home environment to users' lifestyles through the AI home hub "ThinQ ON," connecting refrigerators, washing machines and air purifiers.
Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics each introduced new robot products with AI features to ease household burdens in daily life. Samsung Electronics' 2026 "Bespoke AI Steam" robot vacuum features Qualcomm's dedicated chipset and a 3D obstacle sensor composed of an RGB camera and a dual camera, enabling it to recognize not only furniture and other objects but also transparent liquids for cleaning. LG Electronics unveiled the home robot LG CLOi-D, which not only handles breakfast preparation and laundry sorting but also autonomously manages home appliances according to the situation.
◇ China's Hisense and TCL also stage AI home exhibits; Japan again focuses on B2B this year
China's Hisense and TCL also put AI at the forefront. Hisense showcased "ConnectLife," implemented with its own AI agents. With consolidation of home appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines and dehumidifiers, the air conditioner automatically adjusts the temperature to indoor air quality depending on user preferences and environment, a cooking agent recommends food and wine pairings, and a laundry agent detects fabric types to help with easy washing.
Like Hisense, TCL also unveiled an "AI smart life" with the home consolidated by AI. TCL used AI to consolidation air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines and smart door locks for automatic control and demonstrated this in its pavilion. It also unveiled TVs, Augmented Reality (AR) glasses and projectors powered by AI, signaling plans to target the entertainment market as well.
Sony and Panasonic focused on targeting the business-to-business (B2B) market, similar to last year. Sony built its joint venture (SHM) pavilion, established with Honda, to its largest-ever scale and is unveiling the AI system-embedded electric vehicle Afeela and a next-generation Afeela model. Panasonic is announcing a slew of infrastructure solutions aimed at the AI data center market. Panasonic is exhibiting energy storage systems for data centers, materials for Generative AI servers and liquid cooling pumps for data centers.