AI in Indian homes: Samsung sees 30% growth in SmartThings users, makes Knox its security pitch

AI may have started its workplace takeover with chatbots, copilots and coding assistants, but in India, it is increasingly finding a rather different workspace in people's homes.

At the centre of Samsung's push is SmartThings, its connected-home platform that lets users connect, monitor and control compatible appliances and devices from a single app. It can bring together everything from refrigerators and washing machines to air conditioners, TVs and Galaxy wearables, allowing these devices to work together rather than operate as standalone products.

Samsung says its SmartThings monthly active user base in India has grown 30% over the past year to 6.9 million. The company has 33.15 million registered SmartThings users in India, making the country its third-largest market globally.


More importantly, consumers are not just downloading an app and forgetting about it. They are using it to control and manage appliances around the home. Samsung says every second appliance it sells in India today is a Bespoke AI appliance, pointing to growing consumer interest in connected and AI-enabled products.

“It is not just a feel-good kind of factor that we are having AI on a refrigerator. They are using it now,” Ghufran Alam, vice president and head of digital appliances at Samsung India, told ET AI.

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Samsung's latest 2026 Bespoke AI lineup, launched at its experiential event The Brief Gurugram, is built around this idea of the connected home — where AI is the common thread linking refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners and other devices through SmartThings.

The new range spans multiple categories and price points. It includes the Bespoke AI WindFree Pro AC, starting at Rs 69,990, the Infinite 1-Way Cassette AC, starting at Rs 1.6 lakh, and the Family Hub refrigerator, priced at Rs 4,00,690. Samsung has also introduced a Bespoke AI Laundry Combo, along with new AI-enabled refrigerators and other connected appliances.

The Family Hub refrigerator comes with AI Vision and AI Food Manager, which can recognise food items, suggest recipes and help track use-by dates. Samsung's new WindFree ACs come with AI Energy Mode, while the Bespoke AI Laundry Combo can detect fabric types and adjust wash and drying cycles accordingly.

From AI at work to AI at home

The conversation around AI adoption has largely centred on workplaces — employees using AI to write emails, analyse data or generate code. In the home, the applications are considerably less glamourous, but arguably more tangible. For instance, an air conditioner adjusting its temperature, a washing machine figuring out how much water a load needs, or a refrigerator helping manage energy consumption.

According to Alam, AI Energy is currently among the biggest use cases for connected appliances in India. Consumers are using AI-enabled features in refrigerators, ACs and washing machines to manage energy consumption. Elderly care is another emerging use case.

Samsung says the number of newly connected appliances in 2025 was nine times higher than in 2022, while the share of its connected devices in South Asia has risen from 2% in 2022 to 13% in 2026.

Across Southwest Asia, up to two million Samsung appliances are now delivering connected experiences. Samsung's SmartThings AI Energy Mode contributed to more than 3,213 MWh of energy savings in the region over the past year, the company said.

The company is also trying to make the connected home less about individual smart appliances and more about an ecosystem. Its new AI Home screen acts as a central hub for controlling appliances, while SmartThings connects devices across categories.

For instance, Samsung's Wearable Good Sleep feature allows compatible ACs to work with Galaxy wearables to adjust cooling based on a user's sleep patterns. Its Family Care service can send alerts when unusual inactivity is detected, while Pet Care allows owners to track activity and receive reminders around their pets' routines.

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Indians don't just want AI. They want more appliance

The AI push is happening alongside another trend in India's appliance market, which is premiumisation.

According to Alam, consumers are increasingly moving up the appliance ladder.

“When we look at growth, our premium segment is growing faster. For example, consumers buying high-capacity top-mounted refrigerators are moving towards side-by-side refrigerators. Side-by-side consumers are moving towards French-door or four-door refrigerators,” he said.

He attributed part of this trend to rising consumer aspirations and the availability of financing options such as no-cost EMI.

AI is not necessarily being introduced simply to make appliances cheaper or more basic. Instead, it is increasingly becoming part of the pitch for consumers looking to move into higher-end products.

“We are trying to make sure that most of our products are AI-enabled,” Alam said. “It means that we are democratising the technology and making sure that consumers' aspirations are met.”

Alam added that AI-enabled devices are Samsung's fastest-growing segment this year. He said consumers are also increasingly aware of AI capabilities before buying an appliance.

The new lineup reflects that push across categories. Samsung's Family Hub refrigerator, for instance, uses AI Vision and AI Food Manager to recognise food items, suggest recipes and help track use-by dates. Its new WindFree ACs use AI Energy Mode, while its Bespoke AI Laundry Combo can detect fabric types and adjust wash and drying cycles.

But who is watching the connected home?

As refrigerators, washing machines and ACs become smarter, consumers are also becoming more conscious about what happens to the data generated by these devices.

Alam said security remains one of the main concerns raised by consumers, although he added that the company's explanations around its security architecture have helped address those concerns.

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Samsung's answer is to make security part of the product architecture rather than treat it as an add-on. Its Knox security platform, already used across Samsung smartphones, is also being extended across its appliances to provide what the company describes as multi-layered protection.

The company is also adding more controls around personalised experiences. Its upgraded Bixby voice assistant, for instance, supports Voice ID, which recognises individual users and personalises their experience.

That personalisation makes the security question more important, too. The more a home knows about its occupants — their routines, sleep patterns, appliance usage and even their pets — the more important it becomes to protect that information.

Samsung is also promising longer software support, with SmartThings software updates for its appliances now extending to seven years.