Artificial Intelligence at Home: How AI Works With Smart Homes

What Is Artificial Intelligence at Home?

You’ll find artificial intelligence at home through the use of many devices.

Smart home AI consists of technologies like:

• Smart thermostats that learn how you like to heat your home
• Lighting systems that pick up on when you want lights to come on
• Fridges that track your shopping and work out when you’ll run out of ingredients
• Security cameras that use AI to identify movements (helping them tell the difference between a fox and an intruder)

Plus, while not necessarily smart home technology itself, a voice-controlled assistant will use AI. If you have a voice assistant, you can use it to control your smart systems and appliances. That happens thanks to its built-in AI.

Perhaps the biggest difference AI makes to smart home tech is that smart home AI automates automation. With non-AI home automation, you need to program the sequences. However, AI-enabled automation systems learn and adapt without you telling them to. By adding AI to your automation set-up, you enable smarter home automation that will grow after you complete its installation. Sometimes, the sequence you think will work for you won’t suit you as much as you expect. With AI home automation, your smart devices will gradually tweak themselves to match exactly what you need – not what you think you need.

How Smart Home AI Works

Smart home AI is made possible through various technological advancements, including:

1. Machine learning: AI-enabled devices can analyse users’ habits and adjust automation over time. Do you always turn the heating down when it hits a certain temperature? Machine learning will spot this habit and start doing it for you.
2. Predictive automation: Machine learning feeds into predictive automation. By learning patterns and analysing data, AI smart home software anticipates homeowners’ needs (whether lighting, heating, or entertainment).
3. Natural language processing (NLP): NLP is the technology smart assistants use to understand and respond to voice controls and conversational commands.
4. Edge computing: With this type of distributed computing framework, computing tasks (e.g. processing, data storage) take place on the “edge” of a network rather than a remote data centre. Sometimes, the “edge” will be on the smart home device – improving security and helping devices make intelligent decisions faster.

Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Smart Homes

AI has multiple uses in smart homes, including:

1. Entertainment and lifestyle: AI applications don’t have to have practical benefits. Sometimes, AI is just for fun. For instance, AI-enabled smart lighting can react to the moods of the music you’re playing – elevating that party atmosphere or creating an air of tranquillity. You could even embrace AI-curated content. Perhaps, you could bring family memories to life with digital photo displays that show AI-generated video versions of still photographs. Or ask AI to make playlists for your smart TV when you can’t decide what to watch.
2. Energy management: AI can help you optimise your energy use. For instance, AI can recommend the best time to use your appliances while putting minimal strain on the grid. By integrating with smart thermostats and lighting, AI can also detect when you’re wasting energy (i.e. heating a hot room or lighting an empty space) and turn off unnecessary devices.
3. Security and monitoring: AI can improve the usefulness of home security devices. For example, facial recognition cameras can identify home dwellers, so you won’t set off your own alarm. On a larger scale, AI is also a big part of predictive threat intelligence which cybersecurity teams use to understand which threats are more likely. The existence of predictive threat intelligence helps keep smart homes (and other online systems) secure.
4. Health and wellness: Smart home devices like air quality monitors use AI to understand when air quality drops and trigger the necessary filters or humidifiers to address the problem. Fall detection systems also use AI to recognise the difference between somebody getting out of bed and falling out of it.

Benefits of AI-Enhanced Smart Homes

By pairing your smart home technology with artificial intelligence, you’ll unlock additional benefits such as:

1. Greater personalisation: By learning your preferences, AI will customise your smart home sequences so that they better match your needs and routines.
2. Improved energy efficiency: Don’t use something? AI will help you lose it. By understanding how you use appliances, heating and lighting, AI will recognise where you’re wasting energy and automatically turn off unused devices.
3. Enhanced home security and safety: With AI, you can elevate your smart home security solutions. AI facial recognition will reduce false alarms, meaning you’ll know to take action if you receive an alert. Some video doorbells also have AI-powered package detection so that you’ll know if there’s a parcel you need to take care of.
4. Hands-free convenience: You can use a device with an AI-powered voice assistant (like Amazon Alexa) as a controller for your smart home. If you connect it to other devices and program sequences, you can simply say “Turn the lights off” to do just that. Great for when it’s not easy to reach a switch.
5. Future-proofed living environments: When you invest in a smart home transformation, you want it to last. By choosing AI-enhanced technology, you’re opting for solutions that will evolve with you. What works for you today may not suit you tomorrow – AI will learn and adapt.

Challenges and Risks of AI in Smart Homes

While there are many benefits to using AI within your smart home, some homeowners have concerns (partly due to the newness of the technology).

Examples of the challenges and potential risks of using AI in your smart home set-up include:

1. Privacy concerns: Many homeowners wonder how much data is collected and where it’s stored. After all, if an AI learns from your behaviour, it must store your information somewhere. While it’s a reasonable concern, on-device processing (using edge computing) increases security. While many DIY solutions rely on the cloud for data storage, you can store data locally (and therefore more privately) with professional-grade devices.
2. Cybersecurity threats: Are you wondering if smart devices can be hacked? While it’s possible, the right security protocols reduce the chances of bad actors accessing your systems or data. If you use a professional installer, you can rest assured that they’ll install your smart home (including its AI integrations) with risk-minimising protections.
3. System complexity: AI adds another layer to your smart home. While it largely takes care of itself once installed, it can be confusing to first set it up. A CEDIA-certified Smart Home Professional will integrate AI in a way that’s reliable and user-friendly (should you need to make any adjustments).

Why Professional Installation Matters

Proper installation is paramount to have a secure AI-based smart home that works as you wish.

DIY AI-based smart homes are more likely to have security vulnerabilities. Most off-the-shelf solutions use cloud storage, which is riskier than keeping your data on a local network. Professional installers can also advise on the most secure devices to use. Plus, they’ll ensure that all systems are set up correctly and put extra protections in place.

Professionals will help you achieve more than you could imagine – using their expert knowledge to maximise AI capabilities without compromising safety. A CEDIA-certified integrator will create a secure, optimised and customised smart home ecosystem that will match your needs.

The Future of AI and Smart Home Technology

As the widespread use of AI is still relatively new, there will likely be considerable advancements in technology over the next few years. The AI home automation market is expected to grow to $75.08 billion in 2029, so it’s set to become more widely adopted.

At CEDIA, we’ve advocated for home technology professionals since 1989. We’ll continue to evolve and support the industry by adapting to the changes that AI will bring. We’ll set industry best practices and provide the training that professionals need to ensure the proper installation of AI smart homes. 

Combining smart home technology with AI opens up powerful opportunities for homeowners, with even greater personalisation and automation capabilities than a non-AI smart home. If you’re interested in creating a home that’s smarter, safer and AI-enabled, consider working with a CEDIA-certified Smart Home Professional.