2026 will be the year of the AI living companion

2025 unleashed the enormous potential of AI. According to Pew Research, 62% of adults say they interact with AI at least several times a week, and 73% of U.S. adults say they are at least a little bit willing to let AI assist with their day-to-day activities.

However, while most people today use AI primarily for answering their questions or researching products to buy, the real opportunity isn’t in better search functionality alone. In the consumer tech industry, we are at the threshold of a generational opportunity to leverage AI to make people’s lives better and more meaningful, saving them time on what they need to do so they can focus on doing what they want to do.

We need to champion a fundamental shift in how we design technology from interfaces we control to companions we trust. Not through more screens or settings, but through intelligence that shapes what you see, how you cook, how you clean, and how your home responds to you—often invisibly, and always intentionally.

This is what real AI looks like: a companion. It learns your habits. It helps without demanding attention. It anticipates rather than interrupts. In 2026, AI moves from optional to indispensable, especially inside the home, where its impact will be most personal.

INVISIBLE INTELLIGENCE

The signals are unmistakable. In an internal consumer survey Samsung conducted in late 2025, 74% of respondents said they want to see at least some personal tech become more human-like or instinctive. For example, that includes AI that recognizes context and anticipates needs without constant input. What does this look like in daily life? Imagine TVs that automatically optimize picture and sound based on what you’re watching and your room environment. Refrigerators that understand ingredients and suggest meals without you having to ask. Appliances that work together seamlessly, reducing everyday friction rather than adding complexity. That’s what invisible intelligence looks like.

What’s ahead is exciting. I’m just back from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas where the conversation around AI reached a crescendo. Samsung debuted a vision for AI Living that unifies intelligence across a broad ecosystem of mobile devices, home appliances, TVs, and services to bring connection, bringing the benefits of AI to create experiences that understand people and adapt to their lives.

INTUITIVE, NOT INTRUSIVE

I believe that AI must feel intuitive, not intrusive. In practical terms, a companion frees up something valuable: time and mental load. When your home acts like a companion by handling routine decisions, adjusting temperatures, suggesting meals, and managing energy, it returns your attention to what actually matters. Connection with family. Creative work. Rest.  

But a real companion can’t operate in isolation. Innovation should no longer be individual AI features. Real companionship requires orchestration across an ecosystem of dozens of devices that actually know each other, learn together, and move in concert. This requires open standards, multi-brand compatibility, and foundational trust. Privacy and security can’t be afterthoughts. If your home is a true companion, it must be a trustworthy companion. That foundation is non-negotiable.

As AI becomes a constant presence in our lives, the companies that win won’t be the ones with the most features. They’ll be the ones that understand something fundamental, which is that the best technology is the technology you don’t think about.

The question isn’t whether AI companions are coming. They are. The question is whether we design them thoughtfully, to be our true partners in daily life or to be systems that extract value while appearing to serve us. In 2026, we are choosing genuine companionship.

Yoonie Joung is President and CEO of Samsung Electronics North America.