For those of us who saw Stanley Kubrick’s cinematic masterpiece, 2001: A Space Odyssey, in our youth, artificial intelligence may evoke a bit of suspicious fear, as well as enthusiastic favor. After all, our Baby Boom generation grew up with the moon landing in our childhood, home computers in our teens, 20s and 30s, smart phones in our 40s and now, in our 60s and beyond, a growing array of AI-powered innovations to make our homes smarter. Which ones will make their mark in 2025?
I reached out by email to leaders in the home design and technology worlds for their insights on what they see coming our way in the new year. This is the second of a four-part series covering predictions.
Last week, we looked at upcoming AI-powered trends. This installment looks at innovations powered by this emerging technology.
Adaptive Intelligence
Josh Christian, CEO of the Home Technology Association, sees artificial intelligence making home automation smarter. Citing one brand, Josh.ai (no relation), Christian says, “Its intuitive voice control understands natural language and context, allowing users to give complex commands like, ‘Turn off the lights downstairs and play jazz in the living room.’ As the system learns homeowner preferences over time, it can begin anticipating needs, making suggestions and adapting to changes.”
Mark Bryan, senior foresight manager with Future Today Institute, a corporate advisory firm, also points to smart systems that learn and adapt. “We’re moving past smart thermostats and automated lights to homes that truly think for themselves. AI platforms like LG’s ThinQ are leading the way, combining user behavior, environmental data, and predictive algorithms. Imagine your home automatically adjusting lighting as the sun sets, turning down the thermostat during a winter storm, or even subtly tweaking the air quality after detecting pollen spikes.”
Daryl Friedman, global president and CEO of smart home technology association CEDIA, is also seeing adaptive intelligence, particularly in the area of lighting. “AI tools in lighting will know how to utilize the location, season and time of day to automatically create the right ambiance at the right time.”
Robotics
Savour Partnership’s principal, Leslie Carothers, is a digital marketing consultant who frequently speaks at industry conferences on smart home and artificial intelligence trends. She sees robotic technology making our lives easier (and perhaps happier) in the new year. “Robots like NEO will become more mainstream and be able to help homeowners.”
She’s particularly bullish on the potential for disabled and older adults to benefit, noting the capabilities of these devices, including “all kinds of home chores like folding laundry, cooking, ordering groceries, vacuuming, etc.”
Carothers also points out an intriguing new capability: “importantly for some will be the robot’s ability to interact with humans in increasingly emotionally intelligent ways.” This can aid in caregiving and companionship, reducing feelings of loneliness, she notes.
Design Capabilities
Amanda Pendleton, real estate platform Zillow’s home trends expert, sees staging and design software empowered with AI as an increasing trend for 2025, she says. Citing Zillow’s own platform for this capability, Pendleton shares, “Zillow’s Virtual Staging AI (VSAI) enables users to upload room images, select furniture styles, and generate fully staged photos in seconds.”
If you spend time extensive on furniture, accessory and other design-oriented sites, as I do, you’ll likely find “See this in your room” options on many of them. Artificial intelligence supports this augmented reality technology.
Khoi Vo, CEO of the American Society of Interior Designers, is also seeing augmented and virtual reality technologies, powered by AI, poised to transform how homeowners engage with design concepts. “These innovations bridge the gap between imagination and reality, offering immersive, 3D walk-through experiences in the early stages of a remodel or build.”
AI automation enhances decision-making by allowing homeowners to interact with design elements—from materials to layouts—before construction begins, he adds. Vo cites Lifesize Plans generating full scale virtual experiences for customers to be able to walk through a project before it’s built. “As these immersive tools become mainstream, design firms leveraging AR/VR will gain a competitive edge, resonating with a new generation of digitally savvy homeowners.”
Bill Darcy, global president and CEO of the National Kitchen & Bath Association, is another proponent of AI-powered design technology as top 2025 innovations. “For me, the standout will be AI tools that enable designers to simplify the chaos of remodeling by automating material choices and budgeting so homeowners can focus on the creative and emotional aspects of their projects.”
Problem Solving
Rachel Hodgdon, president and CEO of the International WELL Building Institute sees AI becoming home advisors. “With AI comes the opportunity for homes and homeowners to be in direct conversation in the same way that us apartment dwellers engage in a call-and- response with our building supers. ‘What’s that smell? Is it safe for me to breathe?’ “It’s cold in here. Can you bump up the heat?’ “The light above my bed is flickering. Please order me a new lightbulb,’” she shares, citing some examples of AI-empowered capabilities.
“Today home operating systems display static information and provide a series of buttons for us to control our environments,” Hodgdon observes. “Tomorrow our home operating systems will actually engage in the problem-solving, delivering insights, troubleshooting issues and even shipping solutions direct to our doors,” she predicts.
Conclusions
These professionals all see artificial intelligence opening new doors of independent living, improved design, comfort, creativity, convenience and resilience for our homes. That’s a much more positive vision than Kubrick’s, whose AI empowered antagonist, HAL, refused to open the pod bay doors to allow astronaut Dave back onto the spaceship. Here’s hoping, nearly six decades later, the technology is more evolved! This Boomer is open to the possibility, but still a bit cautious.
