If you think your smart home often dumb, maybe you're right. Clumsy voice assistants misunderstand commands. Between compatibility issues and numerous privacy concerns, each new device is an adventure of sorts, and not always a pleasant one.
Now the artificial intelligence revolution has happened smart homebringing bold promises and a “fix it” swagger. Will it happen? CES 2026 is the place to find out.
I have a few guesses about what smart home technologies will be on display at CES, including new conversational AI, improved presence recognition, and the development of more independent systems. AI services. Brands are using new features to solve long-standing problems by creating smart homes. more like personal assistantsfinally.
Here are my top four predictions for smart home technology heading into CES 2026 and what they'll mean for you.
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My smart home predictions for CES 2026
- Smart home technology brands often label everything as “AI,” but in reality, not all of them are.
- Conversational voice assistants will allow for greater butler-style control of your home.
- Advanced presence detection technology will go mainstream, offering privacy benefits.
- Smart devices automate household chores without requiring human intervention.
1. Brands will call everything “AI” (just some of them)
Gemini for Home is an example of true artificial intelligence working at home.
I discussed this trend after the IFA exhibition in Berlin. Home brands of all kinds have started using the “AI” label in their marketing. I don't blame them. AI is such a hot topic that there is a need to include the term in any new device or software that a company releases.
The problem is that this blurs the AI label and confuses people who become frustrated when “AI” seems to mean everything and nothing at the same time. I expect to see “artificial intelligence” everywhere at CES, but only some of these claims actually hold up.
Some advertised products will actually use modern LLMs and generative AI features that I will discuss below. Others will rely on old machine learning techniques that we never called “AI” before, but will now get a shiny new label to keep up with the times. Some brands stretch the term so far that they call the underlying automated algorithms “AI,” even if that doesn’t make much sense.
One day, tech companies may be held accountable for using AI Labeling wrong. But that won't be the case at CES 2026. That means our CNET team will be on hand to let you know which AI features are truly impressive and which ones fall flat.
2. Conversational voice assistants are finally making communication easier
Alexa Plus seems much easier to use than the old Alexa, and it signals a move toward more voice assistants.
What makes a voice assistant conversational? Think less about “issuing commands” and more about “talking to ChatGPT.” Conversational home assistants Use the latest AI features to make your speech sound more fun, casual, and easier to understand. They can understand subsequent commands or sudden changes in direction, answer difficult questions, and even suggest what to do next.
I've tested the new conversational features in Gemini for Home and Alexa Plus, and they work great (albeit with some processing lag). They're finally delivering on the promise made years ago by voice assistants to be “jolly butlers” that now seem much more aware of their shortcomings.
However, I'm also seeing a rise in conversational features on third-party platforms, including Josh AI. The latest Home Assistant features, and even tightly trained, LLM based on LLM voice assistants from brands like Lepro smart lights.
Gemini can search your video history if you don't mind the privacy implications.
CES 2026 is the perfect opportunity to showcase how smart home devices respond to friendly, random commands and how they use the latest artificial intelligence technology understand your mood and activity. This may mean you should ask your fridge what can you cook for dinner if you have your TV tell which actors are popular now, or summon a lamp change it lamp color for your yoga time.
I also expect to see portable robots and smart displays that interact with you in a more realistic way, security systems that now explain what happens when a sensor is triggered, and – my favorite – video intercoms capable of conducting full conversations for you when you can't get to the door, a clever AI trick like Alexa Plus will be rolled out right before CES.
3. Non-invasive detection of presence will manifest itself in full force
Philips Hue isn't the only brand working on presence recognition.
An occupancy sensor refers to home devices that monitor the activity of people around the home, but in an unobtrusive manner. I've already seen presence detection technology smart thermostats, such as Nest Learning Thermostat, as it is convenient for the thermostat to recognize when people are active in the home and adjust the temperature accordingly. And yet this usually more traditional motion sensors – a feeling of direct movement and people nearby or far away.
At CES, I expect to see a wave of new smart devices that move away from direct sensors and instead use small disruptions in Wi-Fi and similar frequencies to measure activity around the home. They can sense human presence and movement patterns, but that's about it. This approach adds a little more privacy by allowing lighting, security systems and more to respond to human movement.
I've already seen this sense of presence in the latest models. Philips Hue smart bulbsand also less intrusive monitoring for older people. From what I've heard, CES will also be about security systems and other home tech. It is a technology that combines low implementation cost, privacy benefits and user friendliness, meaning this type of detection is very easy to adapt to different use cases.
4. Household chores are made easier with automatic automation.
Conversational functions also help you control your home automatically.
During Google's keynote event this fall, when the company showed off how its Gemini AI would work for the home, it mentioned something not entirely surprising: No one actually designs home routines. These routines are more complex automation in which devices respond synchronously to triggers such as the time of day or a specific command, adjusting the lights, locking doors, or disarming the security system when you return home.
The problem is that these procedures take time and effort to set up, often requiring a lot of effort. Google home page or Apple House to see what's even possible, or use third-party platforms like IFTTT to manually integrate devices, which adds its own learning curve. Result? Few people who own smart devices even try to do this.
At CES, I expect we'll see AI that takes care of this for you. I've seen smart home companies describe their vision of a command-less home, where devices take the initiative and act on their own based on AI-determined triggers. I expect this idea to become even more prominent in security technology, home energy systems, lighting, and various app-based platforms.
Expect home devices to become more agent-based—doing things without prompting.
This self-driving technology is the culmination of the trends I have discussed. Conversational voice assistants will happily tailor a routine for you with a simple prompt – I tried this with Gemini for Home and already prefer it to the old approach. New occupancy sensing features will take the lead, adjusting lighting and settings as people come or go. Algorithms will increasingly focus on how your Routines shape the behavior of the device, rather than forcing you to create routines for them.
I'm not sure if these automated home AI systems will get a unique name. Some call them AI co-pilots, while others borrow the term “agent” from data analytics. Agent AI. Whichever term you stick to, expect these new home control features to appear on numerous CES displays. Technology companies really want you to know that their products can take care of you.
Of course, you may have to give up some control to let these AI managers take over. When it comes to simple installation such as smart thermostat is automatically configured, this is rarely a problem. But does the whole house react on its own? This is a much more serious question and involves another round of privacy questions, so I'm interested in learning more.
Want to see what devices CES can bring to the smart home world? Take a look at my guides on the best modern smart home devices, products I couldn't stop using this year And my favorite home AI uses to date.
