“We realize AI technology is one of the most essential supporting factors” to enhance customer experience, LG CEO William Cho said on January 8. “While others may focus on advancing AI technology, LG cares about how AI makes a real difference in the real world,” he added.
Commercial applications and real-world use of AI – especially generative AI – are among the big topics at CES 2024.
For the potential use of AI in LG Electronics’ products, Mr. Cho cited examples such as devices that learn to understand user needs based on conversations and human behavior patterns or that can “prompt tangible actions by coordinating physical devices”. LG said these services use its own large language model.
LG introduced an AI-powered bipedal robot assistant with wheels. The robot can move around the home on its own and interact through speech and display emotions. It incorporates microphones, cameras, and other sensors to detect voices, images, temperatures and humidity levels in the home. “With multimodal AI technology, it understands you and your home better,” Henry Kim from LG Electronics USA shared.
While emphasizing the importance of AI in its products, Mr. Cho also noted that security and privacy are LG’s top priorities. “We realize AI needs to be accountable for its decisions and actions,” he said. Data protection will be applied “throughout the process of collecting, storing and using consumer data to ensure protection at every stage,” the LG CEO said.
LG’s compatriot – Samsung also had some similarities in its presentation, including an emphasis on AI and security, as well as introducing an updated version of the spherical robot Ballie. Equipped with a camera and projector, Ballie’s AI capabilities allow it to “learn from user patterns and habits to provide smarter, more personalized services,” the company said.
Samsung did not demonstrate Ballie live but through a promotional video showing it following its owner, handling video calls, and even monitoring and feeding a pet remotely. No details on release date or pricing for the robot were available.
Samsung also introduced the “AI for All” initiative aimed at making the technology “safer, more inclusive and more energy efficient”. The company has expanded the Knox Vault security management platform to include most mobile devices and other devices, including its latest TVs.
