Ambient sensing tech will be added to your everyday tech to detect what you're up to
At Samsung’s Unpacked 2025 event, the Korean tech giant doubled down on its vision of “AI for All” by unveiling some pretty interesting updates for its SmartThings smart home ecosystem.
Following up what was on show at Samsung’s impressive CES 2025 booth earlier in the month, Unpacked 2025 spilled more beans on how exactly SmartThings will evolve to become more personalized in the next couple of years.
The new Home AI features aim to create a smarter, more intuitive home that adapts to your lifestyle with very little effort on your part.
The big idea is that your smart home will work for you, in the background, using sensors in everyday devices without you even needing to know that they are there.
The “Ambient” smart home has been the Holy Grail for years… heck, it’s why we called this site what we did.
It’s a concept that envisions a home environment where technology seamlessly blends into the background, anticipating your needs and responding to your presence without explicit commands.
And that’s exactly what Samsung spelled out at Unpacked.

The magic lies in how Samsung’s connected devices, like its TVs, Music Frame speaker, and Family Hub refrigerator, will serve as both motion and sound sensors.
These devices will gather data about your daily routines, such as exercise habits or when you head to bed, and use that information to optimize your home environment.
And what’s more – presumably using mmWave technology – that sensing will become even more comprehensive than ever.
There was no mention of mmWave specifically at Unpacked but, over at CES 2025 during a tour of the Samsung booth, the Head of SmartThings Mark Benson told me how they’d been working closely with Aqara regarding mmWave radar technology.
Aqara already has a trio of mmWave sensors on the market, which boast precise presence detection that can not only sense when someone is in a room, but where they are in the room and what they are doing… they could even detect your breathing.
In the SmartThings scenario, with sensors hidden in our everyday tech, you could be exercising in front of your TV, and the system could analyze your movements, guide your form, and suggest the ideal workout duration.
Once you’re done, the sound of a hairdryer could trigger a robot vacuum to clean up any fallen hair.
Even your pet can get in on the action; SmartThings will be able to detect your dog jumping onto the couch and activate an air purifier to tackle allergens.
Samsung claims this technology goes beyond basic automation, offering context-aware adjustments tailored to you.
If that all sounds a bit intense, and you’re worried that Samsung will have access to a whole new wave of detailed personal data, rest assured that everything processed by Home AI is stored locally on your SmartThings hub, meaning your personal information doesn’t leave your home.
This approach contrasts with many cloud-reliant systems and aims to give users peace of mind in an era of increasing digital surveillance.
Samsung also announced enhancements for its Map View feature with generative AI, allowing users to create a 3D map of their home that includes personalized elements like furniture and textures.
The updates tackle a persistent challenge in smart home tech: making automation feel natural, not forced. Instead of relying on standalone sensors scattered across your home, Samsung’s plan to integrate this functionality into devices you already use is a simple solution to a complex problem.
Samsung hasn’t revealed if third-party sensors from the likes of Aqara, who I already mentioned, and Meross, who launched an mmWave sensor late last year, will be able to play a part.
I’d be surprised if they didn’t though as SmartThings is an extremely open platform that prides itself on its brand agnostic approach.
These updates are set to roll out through 2025 and 2026, but no specifics have been given on exactly what appliances and devices will be involved.