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"OK, Google - make ice!" Google's AI voice Assistant to be in LG's upcoming premium appliances

by Luis D.

May 18, 2017, 3:18 PM

"OK, Google - make ice!" Google's AI voice Assistant to be in LG's upcoming premium appliances

At present, Google Assistant only lives inside your phone or Google Home speaker. This probably doesn't come as unexpected, but you'll be seeing and hearing a lot more of the helpful artificial intelligence in your present or future smart home. For starters, LG is partnering up with Google to embed the AI assistant inside its Signature line of appliances – an air purifier, refrigerator, and washing machine.

They will respond to your voice commands much like you are used to from other Google-fied smart devices, but do their own special tricks. The LG washer will be able to track wash cycle times, the fridge can monitor ice supply and be ordered to make more, and as for the air purifier... we imagine pulling off Arnie's line from Total Recall – "OK, Google - give these people air!" Truthfully, that probably won't work as planned, but it's still an Arnold moment – that's what counts!

These Google Assistant-enabled devices will be launching in America this June, so the reality we're alluding to isn't completely out of reach. Of course, not every household has the resource – or the need – to purchase premium appliances. But voice integration and smart features will inevitably trickle down to the mass-consumer tier.

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source: Korea Times

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8 Comments

1. djcody

Posts: 239; Member since: Apr 17, 2013

Why I need to say anything when my fridge is making ice without it

posted on May 18, 2017, 3:28 PM 3

3. sgtdisturbed47

Posts: 975; Member since: Feb 02, 2012

But your fridge isn't dispensing ice via voice command. Although I'm not sure if that's how they'd use voice commands for their fridge. Either way, people talking to appliances might sound cool but with all that tech onboard (and at the risk of sounding like an old man), it's one more thing to fail. A motherboard in a fridge, washer, or dishwasher isn't something I'd like to have. I push a button to start the washer and walk away, same as any other of these fancy appliances with touch screens. If a part of my washer or dishwasher fails, I buy the part for a few bucks and replace it.

posted on May 18, 2017, 7:06 PM 0

4. mixedfish

Posts: 1571; Member since: Nov 17, 2013

That is the disturbing thing about IoT, it's like having a fifth wheel on a car.

posted on May 18, 2017, 9:00 PM 0

5. ahmuzencab

Posts: 192; Member since: May 12, 2017

Why not just push your cup against it, the easier way?

posted on May 18, 2017, 9:04 PM 0

8. joey_sfb

Posts: 6794; Member since: Mar 29, 2012

My fridge can make ice but i need to fill up their water tank. So not sure how Google assistance is going to help make it easier for me. No water in tank, no ice making unless i lay pipe to it like my washing machine.