LG's bet to make "smart appliances" more than just a gimmick

Smart appliances are nothing new. As with most consumer products, the ubiquity of built-in WiFi and Bluetooth progresses steadily, promising a bold, yet decidedly unspecific, future of "connectedness." LG's new ProActive Care is attempting to finally make good on some of that promise by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to zero in on one of the biggest pain-points in appliance ownership: services and repair. Broken or malfunctioning appliances are a fact of life for consumers. No matter how well built, those big metal boxes that get exceptionally hot, wet, or cold on a daily basis are going to break down eventually.