this post was submitted on 09 Jan 2026
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My AI-less, internet-less fridge is quite private and secure. Furthermore, it keeps food perfectly cold!
It isn't sexy, but products that just work are 100x better than products with 40 features that can all brick it for no reason or annoy you to death.
You know that is a lie, a lip service for the gullible mass. Samsung just does not care about security and privacy because it does not boost their profits.
Yup, I think an ice dispenser and a fancy-schmancy high speed water tap is justifiable for most people, but I can't think of a realistic use case for a screen that outweighs the many negatives.
There's an effort combination here - to buy things that just work, you need not only demand, but their sufficient production and companies choosing that niche to concentrate, because they don't have an option of something with "AI".
It's like negotiation, of what to produce. There's elasticity of demand based on niche similar to that of demand by price. If you need a fridge and there are only AI fridges offered, you'll buy an AI fridge.
So you won't be able to buy something that just works when all companies with sufficient power to design and produce fridges want AI.
There's also some stickiness there, like a hysteresis, and the current combined effort at AI promotion, even if not at equilibrium of said AI's attractiveness for said elasticity, will hold. Unless there will be another combined effort at killing it with fire.
That is similar to 4:3 display ratio, ergonomic user interfaces, or perhaps home appliances that came with schematics, but not anymore.
It might not be sexy, but I'd argue it doesn't need AI to be.
Take the SMEG ones as an example - they're not my cup of tea, but the amount of people who are willing to pay a premium for a fridge that doesn't do anything special other than looking nice shows clearly that.
it will be on the people, if they buy a fridge named "SMEG"
They might also be paying a premium for a refrigerator with that name specifically.
SMEG-MA.
Smeg-heads do be like that.
that's ma SMEG. They really should think of a name change.