My 7 Home AI Tricks That Make Even the Smartest Chatbots Look Dumb
I’m having trouble finding a place for AI in your busy life? I understand, but I suggest taking a look at what AI features can do outside of your phone or a computer – and look at the smart technology in your home instead. Here, AI does an incredible job of in-depth recognition of objects and activities on the cameras to enhanced voice assistants, like Alexa Plus/Gemini, and machine learning that can save you money.
I have been test these latest featuresmany of which only came out in the last year and many of which have found long-term uses in my own home. Here’s what domestic AI impressed me most and how to get it.
1. Package recognition
Package detection is offered through a variety of apps and connected security cameras.
One of the earliest forms of AI use in home security, and still one of my favorites, packet recognition uses the ability of LLM-style AIs to break down and analyze visual content to – well, recognize when you receive a packet.
Devices like Google’s Video Doorbell do this best, giving me alerts when a person shows up with a package, when they leave and a solo package is detected on the porch, and when (worst case scenario) a person shows up and a package disappears at the same time. This is useful for knowing when a delivery is available for pickup and when something unexpected has happened to it, like a porch pirate.
Some brands, like Eufy, Google, and Tapo, offer package recognition for free on the right devices, although the quality may vary. Other companies only include detection for packages with a subscription, like Arlo’s Secure Plans starting at $8.
2. Listening to alarms and broken glass
Many smart speakers have the ability to recognize dangerous sounds and voices.
Advanced algorithms don’t just interpret written languages; they can also be trained to recognize sounds. This can include voice assistants using their natural language processing, but newer versions can also recognize other sounds, including sounds that suggest domestic problems.
THE latest smart speakers and home security services, including Alexa Emergency Assistance and Ring, can listen for fire alarm sirens, broken glass, barking dogs and other warning signs. Then they send an alert to your phone so you get real-time updates on what might be happening and what warrants a quick check. It’s a quick and affordable way to keep tabs on your home even when you’re on vacation.
Some security technologies take this type of alarm signal detection even further. Arlo, for example, added the ability for its cameras to recognize not only people and packages, but also flames, sending you alerts if there appears to be a growing fire.
3. Presence-sensing thermostats to learn daily habits
Nest’s thermostat is pretty, but the real benefit is the savings inside.
Smart Thermostats enable remote app controls and scheduling, but that’s just the beginning. This new generation of thermostats usually includes presence detection, which can detect when there is activity in the home. Over time, presence detection feeds data to algorithms that can build a profile of consistent home activity and then recommend When to Adjust Thermostats to Save Money or simply make these changes themselves.
Occupancy sensing is relatively non-invasive and these thermostats can give you many suggestions on how you can save on your energy bills. But if you think it’s a privacy issueYou can always turn off this smart feature until you want your thermostat to know more.
Also note that presence detection via Wi-Fi methods is quickly spreading to other smart devices, including smart lighting and elderly care, to better respond to home activities and learn routines without being disturbed. Also invasive. This could make home automation much easier and doesn’t require facial recognition or artificial intelligence to recognize what you’re doing, just the ability to sense things happening.
4. Recognize what your pets are doing
New AI features are being trained to recognize a variety of pet activities from brands like Furbo.
In the world of pet technology, AI is being trained to recognize pet activity and send concerned pet owners more detailed alerts about what’s happening. While brands like Furbo have contributed to this use of AI, other companies like Petlibro, PetPulse, Traini, Siipet and even Samsung’s Vision AI are now offering AI services.
These smart alert and tracking features can help tell if a pet has jumped on a forbidden couch, carried a toy, or gotten up from a nap. It’s not always accurate and can sometimes mistake a robot vacuum for a pet or confuse multiple animals, but it’s always fun and useful. The AI is also trained to recognize the behaviors and actions of pets, noticing patterns and issuing warnings if it appears that a pet is sick or behaving strangely.
5. Queries and conversational routines
More and more conversational features are emerging in the smart home for assistants, almost always for the better.
Conversational AI is still making waves in smart home technology. Integration has been slow this year, but I expect it to accelerate as AI like Gemini And AlexaPlus get more support. Alexa Plus video doorbell greetings, for example, are on the way in December. You can already experience Alexa Plus voice commands right now: I wrote a full review of Alexa Plus after spending months with it, and I really like how it can execute more complex commands.
With new conversational capabilities, voice assistants move from crisp, single-line commands to more natural dialogue. You can use natural, casual language to ask questions, share how you’re feeling or what you’re doing, and continue the conversation with comments like, “Oh, and turn off the bedroom lights, too.” » More independent smart home platforms such as Josh AI and Home Assistant are also experimenting with this new flow.
In practice, these more conversational AIs make it easier to execute quick commands or queries and allow assistants to control connected devices more intelligently, interpreting your needs and helping you set up routines. Even though these features are still being rolled out and improved, it’s a great feeling when they work: like you’re finally talking to a voice assistant that actually understands what you mean.
6. Water use and leak detection
Learning algorithms can also help with water and leak management.
Just like listening for broken glass or learning daily wake-up times, machine learning algorithms can also be trained to monitor water problems in your home and suggest ways to save water.
These AI features are typically installed on your water pipe, keyed valves, or water tank and connected to an app offered by companies like Wint (currently more focused on apartments), Watergate, and Hydrific. After learning your water habits, they can suggest new water-saving habits and alert you if it appears a leak has developed before it begins to cause damage.
7. Event Summaries and Responses
Ring’s new alerts gain AI features for Premium users.
The latest AI also brings new ways to view your home videos and analyze video alerts, which is a real time saver. Even though AI models like Gemini have the ability to answer questions on video, I find event summaries even more useful.
Before, you had to find the video clip and watch it for at least a few seconds to see what was happening and if it was important. Now, brands like Google Home, Ring, and Arlo use AI to “play” the video for you and create a quick caption explaining what’s happening. It’s a bit like pet camera AI, but used for everything.
Instead of slowly scrolling through video clips, you can now look at event captions to see summaries, like “Two adults stopped to look at a white truck in the driveway” or “A person opens a spa.” This higher level of detail (compared to just “motion detected”) allows you to immediately know what to worry about or glean the most important information from the captured event without wasting time.
Currently, you have to pay subscriptions to enable these features, but as they become more common, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Smart Captions appear for free.
For a more in-depth look at the types of home devices that use this type of AI recognition and control, check out my guides to the best DIY home security systems and the best outdoor security cameras.
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