Smart Homes Getting An AI Renovation

Upgrades provide natural conversations, cameras that find lost dogs

A decade ago, Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Home offered us a taste of the future: We speak, and our homes respond. But when ChatGPT and other AI chatbots arrived, those “smart” speakers started to feel pretty basic.

Google is rolling out Gemini generative-AI smarts to existing devices at the end of the month.

Now that they’re getting a generative- AI overhaul, the question is: Can we get more out of devices that until now have been great at setting kitchen timers, reading the weather and playing music?

Most homes are “smart”: Consumer- tech tracking firm Parks Associates reports just over half of internet-connected U.S. households own at least one smart speaker. Yet smart-home adoption has stalled since peaking in 2021, says research firm IDC. Anyone who has wrestled with a smart light, thermostat or other home tech knows the pain. A multitude of fussy apps and the need to memorize countless verbal commands were a big part of the problem.

Amazon’s Alexa+ and Google’s Gemini aim to fix that, by making smart homes less dumb. The tech giants introduced new speakers, home displays and cameras this week to capitalize on their evolved assistants, but most existing devices are also compatible.

Gemini for Home arrives at the end of the month, and Amazon says 10 million households have early access to Alexa+. As we wait for Apple’s Siri to catch up, here are the three big changes coming to our homes right now.

Cameras that tell you what’s happening

When you get a security camera alert, you tend to open an app and peer in wondering at what might be lurking in or outside your house.

With Gemini for Home—which you can gain early access now in the Google Home app—Nest cam notifications have more useful descriptions, such as “Dog jumped out of playpen,” or “USPS dropped a package off on your porch.”

Inside the app, you can ask queries like, “When did the gardener arrive last week?” to pull up relevant clips. In a demo, “What ate my grass?” showed rabbits munching in the garden. The cameras can also summarize daily highlights such as kid activity or package delivery. Amazon’s Ring announced similar features called Video Descriptions and Smart Video Search earlier this year— available to Home Premium plans.

In December, Ring will add Familiar Faces, allowing its doorbells and other cameras to recognize people you know. The system matches faces based on your videos only, and the identification is stored with your account. Also coming in December is a service that allows Alexa+ to greet people at the door, whether they’re familiar or unfamiliar faces. Ring is attempting a more ambitious task as well: finding lost dogs.

You can trigger a “Search Party” by providing details and a photo of your missing dog. Any outdoor Ring cameras in the vicinity that spot your dog will alert those camera owners.

If they want to notify you, they can with a tap. (They can also choose to ignore the alert, and even disable Search Party entirely.) Search Party, available in November, is only for dogs at launch, but Amazon is looking beyond canines. In addition to evaluating algorithms for other pets—hello, cats!—it is considering monitoring for lost people as well.

“There are thousands of people missing with dementia all the time, so you can imagine looking for them,” says Jamie Siminoff, who founded Ring and currently heads the Amazon subsidiary.

Siminoff noted the privacy concerns, and emphasized that videos will never be shared without the consent of the camera users. In addition, Ring says it doesn’t use private customer videos to train its AI models.

Speakers that have real conversations

As soon as you upgrade to Alexa+ or Gemini for Home, the biggest change you’ll notice is the humanness of the assistant. Conversations flow freely; you don’t need to repeat the wake word. We’ve asked Alexa+ about classical architecture, amenities at a campground, whether selenium is water-soluble and more, with informative responses.

We have yet to stump it. Responses to conventional smart-speaker requests are improving, too. When Gemini for Home rolls out, you can say, “Set a timer for roasted carrots”—Gemini will ask appropriate follow-ups and start a countdown. You can also ask: “Play a recent podcast featuring Serena Williams” or “My dishwasher isn’t draining.

What should I check first?” Like ChatGPT, these AI-powered assistants sometimes hallucinate, too. Alexa+ offered to make a restaurant reservation via Open- Table. The restaurant wasn’t even on the app yet it insisted we had a booking. Hey, that’s why it’s still early access.

Automation without the app headache

The magic of the smart home is when stuff happens exactly when you need it to. Previously, this felt like it required a computer-engineering degree. Now, you can create these automations just by describing what you want. Seriously.

For example, asking Gemini to “make me feel safer” will check that the doors are locked, windows closed and—if you’re not home— lights are toggling on and off. Amazon’s devices chief, Panos Panay, shared how his wife’s frustration with their son—“He just leaves the lights on!”—led her to ask Alexa to turn off lights each night at a given time. She didn’t realize she had created a routine, he says. Amazon’s new devices are equipped with more sensors to understand what’s happening in your home.

In other features rolling out in the coming months, they’ll learn habits—who’s home during the day, what doors should be locked after 10 p.m.—and will be able to adjust routines and alerts based on those patterns, the company says. (Alexa+ will come with all the new Echo devices.) We’ll be doing more testing with Alexa+, Gemini for Home and the new devices.

But these smart assistants already feel less like high-maintenance houseguests and more like family: They listen, learn and might even help find the missing dog. 

Source: Wall Street Journal

Philippine CEOs optimistic, investing in people and tech for growth

Chief executives in the Philippines remain optimistic about industry prospects and are ramping up investments in people and technology to drive growth, a recently conducted survey showed.

“CEOs in the Philippines see both the risks and opportunities that lie ahead, such as the rising digital economy, sustained consumer spending, robust banking system and lower inflation and interest rates, among others,” PwC Philippines Chairman Roderick Danao said in a statement accompanying the release of the 2025 CEO Survey.

Optimism for the next 12 months was said to be strong, with 83 percent of survey respondents confident about the outlook for their industries and 84 percent expecting revenue growth.

The upbeat sentiment was said to be due to the country’s solid macroeconomic fundamentals, including within-target inflation and a robust monetary policy and banking system, sustained consumer spending, lending growth and higher liquidity.

However, more than half of the CEOs (52 percent) raised fears that their companies would no longer be viable after 10 years if changes were not made. Inflation was tagged as a key risk by 94 percent, followed by macroeconomic volatility (93 percent).

Cyber risks are another major concern and were cited by 84 percent of the respondents.

Adapting to change

CEOs were said to be aware of the headwinds with digital transformation particularly high on the agenda: 68 percent said they had integrated artificial intelligence (AI) into strategies and plans and 60 percent claimed implementation had started.

Respondents also had high expectations for generative AI, with 89 percent saying it would improve products and services, and most noted the need to upskill workers to extend business viability.

Eighty-two percent said they were focused on upskilling, 78 percent said they were pushing forward with automation initiatives, and 63 percent claimed to be using advanced technologies.

Sixty-two percent said talent retention and skill shortages were their top concerns, while 51 percent pointed to resource constraints.

Forty-seven percent, meanwhile, tagged the pull between short-term pressures and long-term goals.

As part of adaptation measures, companies were said to be revamping their decision-making processes, with 45 percent claiming shorter timelines and more frequent reviews.

Consultations are also being expanded, with 64 percent drawing on diverse executive perspectives and 62 percent seeking outside views.

‘More agile’

“This year’s survey shows that leaders are being more agile to ensure better service, shorter lead times and sustained outcomes,” PwC Philippines partner Trissy Rogacion said in the statement.

“By accelerating decision-making processes and streamlining workflows, organizations are not only enhancing the customer experience but also maintaining the momentum needed for long-term growth and resilience.” This year’s survey, which was answered by nearly 200 CEOs, was conducted from July 22 to Aug. 25, 2025, with the majority of respondents being members of the Management Association of the Philippines.

Other findings of the poll were that infrastructure development (65 percent) and domestic consumption (62 percent) would be the primary drivers of economic growth over the next 12 months and that the government was doing well in terms of pushing for infrastructure (69 percent).

The state also scored high in terms of foreign relations (65 percent), managing inflation (70 percent) and managing interest rates (53 percent), but just 9 percent of the respondents said it was doing well against corruption.

A quarter (25 percent) expect global economic growth to slightly decline over the next 12 months while just 20 percent said their business was facing threats from US tariffs.

Thirty-five percent said they would be revisiting plans to enter a new industry in the year ahead, 28 percent said they would expand outside the Philippines, and 17 percent would consider selling a stake in existing businesses.

Source: Manila Times

Construction industry’s modernization to boost resilience amid trade uncertainties

The Philippine construction industry can improve its resilience amid ongoing global trade uncertainties by modernizing its operations and strengthening domestic supply chains.

“The tariff shifts introduced by US President Donald J. Trump have triggered ripple effects across global supply chains, affecting everything from raw materials to technology imports,” Vitaly Berezka, regional spokesperson for APAC (Asia-Pacific) at Austrian construction technology firm PlanRadar, said in an e-mail. “For the Philippine construction and property sectors, the most immediate risk lies in rising costs and potential delays tied to sourcing construction inputs.”

“The imposition of reciprocal tariffs by President Trump has certainly brought headwinds to the local construction industry. These tariffs will disrupt the construction supply chain, and hence might impact availability, lead times and pricing of imported construction materials,” Jason C. Valderrama, president and chief executive officer at construction firm JCV & Associates, said.

According to Mr. Berezka, the Philippines has an opportunity to position itself as a regional innovation hub as global firms rethink supply chains.

“By accelerating investment in digital infrastructure and construction technology, the country can increase project efficiency, attract forward-thinking investors, and strengthen its long-term resilience,” he said.

Local construction firms should push for digitalization to let them adapt to evolving global conditions accordingly, Mr. Berezka said.

“Embracing construction technologies like AI-powered platforms, cloud-based documentation, and digital twins will provide the visibility and flexibility needed to adapt in real-time to supply chain or regulatory shocks.”

In particular, they can adopt property technology or “proptech” platforms and digital construction tools, he said.

Construction-related technologies could also help these companies optimize procurement, automate workflows, and reduce material waste, he added.

AI is becoming a “powerful equalizer” in the construction industry amid the global uncertainties, he said, adding that using AI for predictive analytics can help construction managers anticipate delays or cost overruns and automate risk detection.

AI can also streamline reporting and compliance, which is crucial amid shifting regulatory and trade landscapes, Mr. Berezka said.

“Diversifying supplier bases and investing in local supply chains can reduce vulnerability to external tariff policies and logistical constraints. The Philippines has an opportunity to grow its internal capacity while still attracting international partnerships,” he added.

Mr. Valderrama said that with muted US demand for construction materials likely to lead source markets to consider exporting to the Philippines to skirt the higher tariffs, the Philippines must ramp up the development and completion of key infrastructure projects, address the housing backlog, and elevate the country’s manufacturing sector.

The construction industry must also widen its in-country and offshore supply pool, pursue vertical integration, utilize technologies, and adopt modern construction methods and sustainability practices, he said.

Mr. Berezka likewise said that industry players must collaborate with the government on long-term infrastructure plans to incentivize innovation and create a stable regulatory framework that encourages digital adoption and sustainable development.

“Resilience in this era will depend not just on withstanding disruption, but on using it as a catalyst to modernize and evolve. The future belongs to construction ecosystems that are digitally enabled, operationally agile, and strategically diversified.”

Source: Business World