How AI broke the smart home in 2025
TL;DR
In 2025, AI-powered voice assistants like Alexa Plus are failing to reliably control smart home devices, such as coffee machines, despite promises to simplify usage. This highlights ongoing challenges in AI's ability to manage connected homes effectively.
This morning, I asked my Alexa-enabled Bosch coffee machine to make me a coffee. Instead of running my routine, it told me it couldn't do that. Ever since I upgraded to Alexa Plus, Amazon's generative-AI-powered voice assistant, it has failed to reliably run my coffee routine, coming up with a different excuse almost every time I ask.
It's 2025, and AI still can't reliably control my smart home. I'm beginning to wonder if it ever will.
The potential for generative AI and large language models to take the complexity out of the smart home, making it easier to set up, use, and manage connected devices, is compelling. So is the promise of a " …