Samsung is gearing up to introduce new AI-integrated fridges and cooktops in 2024.
At the forefront of this lineup is the 2024 Bespoke 4-Door Flex Refrigerator with AI Family Hub+.
First launched in 2016 as the industry’s first home Internet of Things (IoT) refrigerator, the latest model comes equipped with the all-new AI Vision Inside feature.
That means an internal camera will enable you to see inside your fridge anytime you wish, which might be useful for anything from detecting who’s raiding the cheese late at night to working out what you’ll cook before you get home.
The fridge’s AI system can identify up to 33 different fresh food items based on a comprehensive dataset of approximately one million food photographs.
It even links to Samsung Health, allowing the fridge to offer recipes that cater to different dietary needs, including gluten-free, vegan, and pescatarian options.
The Family Hub™+ screen also includes the Fridge Manager feature, which monitors the status of the water filter and alerts when a replacement is needed. Users can conveniently purchase new water filters directly from Amazon through the screen.
While this isn’t the first AI-integrated fridge, as the 2023 version also featured an AI-powered camera and recipe generation, this new model boasts more sophisticated food recognition technology.
In addition to the refrigerator, Samsung is introducing the new Anyplace Induction Cooktop and Slide-in Range, each equipped with a 7” LCD screen. This allows users to view recipes selected and saved from the Family Hub™+, representing a step towards an interconnected smart kitchen.
Samsung’s touchscreen fridges are not exactly targeted at a general audience. They’re novel and pricey, equipped with enormous screens bigger than most PC monitors at 32″.
Of course, a large proportion of people simply won’t see the value in these fridges, particularly at their premium price points, but you can’t fault Samsung’s progress in re-imagining how people cook and eat.
Moohyung Lee, EVP and Head of the Customer Experience Team of Digital Appliances Business at Samsung Electronics, said in a Samsung press release: “We are both proud and excited to be showcasing these upgraded AI and connectivity features, which utilize the latest technology to help everyone take their food and kitchen experiences to the next level.”
So, how long will it be before AI appliances can cook delicious meals for when we return from work, the school run, and so on?
