Adding a Human Touch to AI: LG’s Affectionate Intelligence

AI is a buzzword across all industries. We are currently living in the age of AI and, while many are focused on the evolution of AI technology itself, LG is focused more on how AI can make a difference to customers in their daily lives.

At CES 2024, LG redefined AI as ‘Affectionate Intelligence’ with the belief that AI should deliver more caring, empathetic and attentive customer experiences. So, what does LG’s ‘Affectionate Intelligence’ entail?

First, LG has access to a wealth of data from the 500 to 700 million LG products in use worldwide, many of which have AI-supported intelligent sensors that are optimized to learn and analyze users’ life patterns. LG has the unique opportunity to draw on the ‘real life’ data gathered from these connected devices and, with this ‘Real-time Life Intelligence,’ can provide valuable insight into customer-device interactions, including their environment, behavior pattern and emotional state.

Second, the LG AI Brain – a powerful engine driven by LG’s large language model –can forecast consumers’ needs based on user-product interactions and contextual learning, perform reasoning processes and generate optimal solutions by orchestrating the action of physical devices. This ‘Orchestrated Intelligence’ allows LG to ultimately provide intelligent services and experiences tailored to customers’ lives.

Above all, AI needs to be accountable, work equally well for all users, promote safe and intended behavior, secure personal data and control access to it. To ensure ‘Responsible Intelligence,’ LG has applied LG Shield, the company’s data security system, across the entire process of collecting, storing and utilizing customer data, ensuring protection at every stage.

With these three pillars, LG is focused on adding a human touch to AI. So, what does ‘Affectionate Intelligence’ look like in the real world?

Enhanced Customer Experience in the Home

With almost seven decades of customer-facing business experience, LG has a deep understanding of customers, especially in the home. Leveraging Affectionate Intelligence, LG enhances the customer experience by providing personalized and tailored services through its home products and solutions.

LG’s Smart Home AI Agent, an all-around home manager and companion, showcases the company’s commitment to realizing its “Zero Labor Home” vision. This versatile household helper can not only act as a hub to seamlessly connect and control home appliances and IoT devices, but also even navigate around the home and, through multi-modal sensing, collect a variety of data to monitor and manage the home.

LG’s home appliances, such as the refrigerator with MoodUP, are equipped with on-device AI chips, allowing for more natural, intuitive interaction with LG ThinQ app. What’s more, appliances compatible with LG ThinQ UP can continuously receive software updates.

LG’s latest washers are equipped with AI Direct Drive Motor tech which automatically determines the ideal cycle,¹ enabling users to take better care of their garments. Among the company’s diverse air solutions, the new LG DUALCOOL residential air conditioner employs the Human Detection Sensor, which can detect the location of room occupants² and change airflow mode accordingly.

When it comes to enjoying the latest movie or your favorite show on LG OLED TVs, the new α (Alpha) 11 AI Processor offers an immersive viewing experience by personalizing picture settings, TV contents and apps. It can even provide recommendations based on past viewing habits through AI Concierge, and if you need assistance or want to learn about new features, the AI Chatbot is ready to help.

For those needing to stay productive, LG gram Pro laptops are equipped with Intel® AI Boost, enabling top performance for AI workloads even without a network connection, enhancing the customer experience with top performance even on the go.

Improved Customer Experience on the Road

Software is not only transforming our homes but also revolutionizing our commercial spaces, virtual environments and experiences on the road. Software-defined Vehicles (SDV) are now a reality, and LG is actively participating in this evolution with a focus on improving the in-vehicle customer experience.

While features like in-car entertainment and navigation are already commonplace, SDV’s bring a new dimension. Advanced software uses innovative technologies to dramatically improve computing power in car cockpits and allows users to remotely upgrade their vehicles with new features, akin to apps on their smartphones, without the need for a dealership or repair shop visit.

At CES, LG shared its vision for cars as a ‘living space on wheels’ powered by SDV solutions. The company introduced LG AlphaWare, its suite of software solutions for SDV. This includes versatile middleware, platforms, and services, creating personalized and immersive in-vehicle experience for SDV utilizing, for example, AR/MR and AI technologies as well as being flexible and scalable base for all the domain of SDV.

Based on ‘Affectionate Intelligence,’ LG will continue to unveil new products and services not for the sake of innovation but to provide tangible benefits to consumers and improve their lives. Stay tuned to LG Newsroom to see how the company continues to connect and expand customer experiences across various spaces, going beyond the home, in its journey to become a smart life solution company.

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¹The AI DD motor attached to washing machines detects fabric type by calculating the unique waveforms of the fabric. AI sensing will not activate if the load is over 3 kilograms or the Steam option has been selected. Feature availability may vary depending on the product models.
²The “Human Detection Sensor” only activates cooling and heating mode. The sensor has a vertical range of 90°, a right/left range of 100°, and a distance range of 5 meters (indoor unit of air conditioner to human). Depending on usage conditions, sensor detection range may be shortened.