AI might be taking over your household, and it’s not necessarily a negative development.
The intelligent home is transitioning from merely a bunch of interconnected devices to a customized, shared computing space. With recent updates from Google and Amazon, it’s evident that generative AI represents the next significant advancement in transforming homes into not just smart, but genuinely intelligent places.
Both firms are introducing AI-enhanced assistants—Gemini and Alexa Plus—that aim to make smart homes more instinctive, reachable, and enjoyable. While their methods vary slightly, the ultimate objective is consistent: to integrate smart living seamlessly into daily routines.
Gemini and Alexa Plus: AI that comprehends your home
Google’s Gemini for Home and Amazon’s Alexa Plus surpass basic voice commands. These assistants grasp context, identify individual family members, and facilitate automations simply by conversing.
Want the lighting to lower when you begin your bath? Just state it. Need a morning routine that plays your favorite playlist and activates the coffee maker? Inquire of your assistant. These AI systems are designed to eliminate obstacles, allowing users to set up personalized automations without needing to navigate through apps or settings.
This evolution makes smart homes communal. All household members can engage with the system in their unique manner, and the assistant adjusts accordingly.
Multimodal hardware: Observing, listening, sensing
To enhance these advanced assistants, both organizations are launching multimodal hardware that merges audio, video, and environmental sensing.
Google’s fresh Nest collection features 2K HDR cameras and a compact Gemini-integrated speaker with ambient sensing capabilities. Amazon introduced new smart speakers, smart displays, security cameras, and video doorbells. Notably, one of the standout features, alongside Alexa Plus support, is Omnisense, allowing the latest Echo devices to provide presence detection while leveraging third-party sensors.
These devices aren’t merely responsive—they’re anticipatory. They greet family members, modify settings based on who is present, and even foresee requirements. This marks a significant stride toward ambient computing, in which the home instinctively reacts to its occupants.
Boosting smart home adoption with AI
One of the most promising advancements is how AI is facilitating broader smart home adoption. Amazon disclosed that users of Alexa Plus are embracing smart home functionalities at double the pace of traditional Alexa users. This is a considerable surge, driven by AI’s capability to inform, guide, and support.
Visualize asking your assistant, “How can I upgrade my light switch to a smart one?” Alexa Plus can assist you in the process, recommend compatible products, and even suggest local electricians if you’re hesitant to handle it on your own. This type of interactive, conversational assistance reduces entry barriers and makes smart home enhancements feel less daunting.
AI also aids users in uncovering features they were previously unaware of. It can propose automations based on your routines, recommend energy-efficient practices, or assist with troubleshooting, all through natural dialogue.
Amazon’s ecosystem advantage
Amazon remains at the forefront of smart home adoption, attributed to its extensive install base and third-party partnerships. Alexa Plus capitalizes on this by providing developers with access to a new Alexa Plus Store, enabling services like Lyft, GrubHub, and TaskRabbit to integrate directly into the assistant.
The television serves as a portal into the intelligent home, and Amazon’s profound insight into consumer shopping and media inclinations grants it a distinctive advantage. Alexa Plus can deliver contextual recommendations, scene-specific searches, and even manage other devices via the TV interface.
Smart speakers fulfill a similar function, serving as hubs for entertainment, communication, and automation. With surround sound integration and ambient sensing, Amazon is transforming these devices into central nodes of the interconnected home.
And let’s not overlook Amazon’s collaboration with Oura, which suggests a future where biometric data from wearables could influence smart home automations, like adjusting lighting in response to sleep patterns or initiating routines based on stress levels.
Google’s strength: Search, Android, and wearables
Google’s strength is anchored in its software ecosystem. Gemini is intricately integrated into Android smartphones, Google Search, and wearables such as the Pixel Watch. This grants Google a unique advantage in contextual intelligence and seamless cross-device functionality.
While wearables aren’t currently a significant aspect of the smart home landscape, they are on the verge of becoming crucial. Google’s ecosystem is well-prepared to harness biometric data, location awareness, and user behaviors to foster smarter automations.
Moreover, Google’s partnership with Walmart positions them to challenge Amazon’s Blink cameras, while enhancing retail visibility and broadening their influence in home security.
Market outlook: A mixed forecast for growth
So, what implications does this have for the smart home market and consumers?
Despite the enthusiasm, the near-term market outlook remains cautious. Many new AI functionalities are being added to existing devices, indicating that the hardware market might not experience a significant boost immediately. In fact, global shipments of smart speakers and displays are predicted to decline in 2025 and into the early part of 2026.
Cameras are anticipated to grow, but
