AI Home Robotic Assistants: A True Gamechanger or Just a Fad?

The concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI) home robots is not new. Back at CES 2020, Samsung introduced its AI home robot concept, Ballie, that could interact with home users and various smart appliances. Similarly, Amazon released Astro in 2021, which could support entertainment and smart home control applications, and work with other security devices to bring extra protection to homes. More recently, LG Electronics unveiled its Self-Driving AI Home Hub solution in 2024, which also supports a variety of applications, such as the control of smart appliances and storytelling, small talk, and reading capabilities via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology, while TCL showcased its modular AI companion robot, TCL Ai Me, at CES 2025.

It is important to note that AI home robots come in different form factors, with each type having different objectives. Home assistant robots, such as Ballie and Astro, are mobile and aim to provide a smart “butler” service, seamlessly integrating with various smart devices across the home. Companion robots, such as TCL Ai Me, provide entertainment and social support to users. Lastly, advanced humanoid robots, such as Neo, Tesla’s Optimus, Noetix, and Figure 03, aim to provide help with manual household chores; more on this will be covered in a future ABI Insight.

However, despite some of these above announcements being made years ago, there has been little recent development until now. For one, Samsung announced that it is committed to launching its Ballie solution commercially by 2025 and recent reports do show that the company is preparing for mass production of its AI home robot. However, general concerns about the adoption and price point of the technology remain.

Do consumers really value these AI home robots, and if so, at what price point? This is the question that has been on the mind of many of these smart home vendors, hence the extended period of consumer trials. For example, the Amazon Astro was released on an “invitation-only” trial and continues to remain so today. LG’s Self-Driving AI Home Hub robot is also not yet commercially available. It appears that some of the major concerns about proceeding with large-scale production of these robots are centered around the following issues:

• Do consumers really need them? At the moment, many of the AI home robot functionalities can be undertaken by various other devices. For example, smart home control can also be done through smart home hubs and speakers, while other companions robots, like Loona, Emotix, Anki, LOOI Robot, Enabot, etc., can fulfill entertainment and/or education purposes. Smart appliances, such as the Samsung Jet Bot robotic vacuum/mop, can also double up as a home and pet monitoring solution.
• Does the price point justify a robot’s value? Given the need for autonomous mobility, AI home robots are expected to cost significantly more than stationary home hubs because advanced sensors and movement algorithms need to be integrated. The challenge here would be to differentiate and highlight the additional value that such AI home robots can bring over traditional solutions.
• What are the data collected being used for? Given that mobile home assistant robots are capturing large amounts of data around the home, there are concerns regarding what data are being captured and they are being used by companies, especially if data are being processed in the cloud.

As with technological innovations that succeeded in the past, these AI robotics assistants need to create some sort of distinctive value or benefit that cannot be achieved with traditional solutions. These benefits could be in terms of: 1) added convenience, with multiple previously separate functions now being achieved with just one robot; or 2) delivering new functionalities where mobility is essential. ABI Research has observed some positive developments being executed by some smart vendors, which could serve as strong examples that other vendors could consider emulating as well:

• Using Open Interfaces: Rather than only relying on internal and proprietary technologies, open Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) can help vendors tap into the larger developer market to drive quicker innovation. An example of this is LG’s release of its open Software Development Kit (SDK) that enables developers to create applications for its Self-Driving AI Home Hub. Furthermore, the company has also created a community platform where developers can exchange ideas and collaborate, fueling the ideation of more useful features for its AI home robotic assistant. While this open-source development concept is not new, ABI Research believes that more vendors should implement the necessary community and technical support for the open developer community to thrive.
• Partnerships with Key Ecosystem Players: Another key factor that smart home vendors need to consider is establishing strategic partnerships. Rather than building AI capabilities from scratch, vendors can consider working with and tapping into the expertise of other companies to accelerate production innovation and commercialization. For example, Samsung and Google Cloud announced a collaboration to bring Gemini capabilities to Ballie. This greatly enhances the capabilities of the AI home robot, while also ensuring faster Time to Market (TTM) for the product.
• Introducing New Features: Lastly, these AI home robots need to be distinctively different from existing solutions. Autonomous mobility is perhaps one of the greatest strengths of these robots that smart home vendors need to capitalize on. One interesting direction that Samsung embarked on was to equip Ballie with a projector, giving it the additional functionality of being a mobile screen. While the demand for this feature is yet to be determined, this is a commendable approach by the company to introduce new functionalities that could bring added value to end users. More such innovative thinking and experimentation will be important to ensure relevancy and uniqueness of the product.
• Tying in with a Broader Smart Device Ecosystem: While AI home assistant robots are touted as seamless connecting with common smart devices and appliances, expanding the size of this ecosystem could make them more valuable. For example, consider enabling integration with smart health devices (e.g., Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS) and smartwatches) and smart energy management devices.

ABI Research foresees a strong growth opportunity for home personal and social robots, with this market expected to reach US$1.7 billion by 2030 (at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 19.3%) (see ABI Research’s Consumer Robotics and Smart Appliances market data (MD-HACRSA-105)). However, to capitalize on this opportunity, it is critical for AI home robotic assistants to continue evolving to meet an unaddressed need in the mass market. Failing to do so would impact large-scale adoption of the technology, which is a key criterion for any mass consumer-based product.