This year’s IFA carries the motto “The Future is Now.” Haier, the Chinese home‑appliance and consumer‑electronics conglomerate, has interpreted that theme in Berlin with its own slogan, “Home of Intelligent Possibilities.”
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At IFA 2026, Haier is presenting its vision of intelligent living—a home where connected appliances and AI go beyond mere assistance to anticipate residents’ needs.
Euronews interviewed Haier Europe CEO Neil Tunstall to discuss what lies beyond the smart home and how quickly these concepts could reach the market.
Beyond the smart home
The goal is to move beyond the smart home toward what Haier terms the intelligent home—a system centered on people rather than individual products.
Rather than focusing on isolated devices, Haier aims to create interconnected systems that adapt to users and their daily routines.
A core element of this vision is to make technology more intuitive, lessening the mental effort required for routine household chores.
“In cooking, for example, the appliance could see what’s inside, ensure it’s prepared correctly, and eliminate the guesswork of users who aren’t confident about oven timing,” Tunstall said.
“The appliance will handle that for you, hopefully allowing us to enjoy home‑cooked meals more fully.”
Sustainability in the intelligent home
Beyond convenience, Haier’s push for smarter, connected appliances is also driven by sustainability, a priority highlighted by Tunstall.
“When you consider the full lifecycle—from manufacturing and logistics to the trucks on the road—the dominant impact for our sector comes from usage, since electrical appliances consume significant electricity and water,” he said.
For Tunstall, lessening appliances’ environmental footprint also involves examining their in‑home use, where smart technology can optimize energy consumption.
Haier’s “end-to-end innovation”
Sustainability is also factored into production. Haier calls this “end‑to‑end innovation,” applying AI and data throughout development, manufacturing, and delivery.
“We have vast amounts of big data that reveal how people use products, which programs they select, how they load the washing machine, and what they do with them. This information enables us to devise new use cases and innovations,” Tunstall said.
According to Tunstall, the goal is to leverage this data not just for product development but also to streamline manufacturing and distribution processes.
To advance these technologies, Haier is planning substantial investment in the coming years.
“Over the next five years, we will allocate 13 billion to AI, robotics, R&D, advanced engineering, and related areas,” Tunstall said.
Tunstall says the investment aims to accelerate the development and deployment of new technologies across Haier’s product portfolio.
“Our aim is to innovate in order to deliver greater value to consumers and trade partners. That 13‑billion investment will speed up the time it takes to bring innovations to market, enabling faster creation of new ideas and use cases across all product categories.”
‘We do not want to replace the human’
Tunstall envisions a future where connected devices may be complemented by humanoid robots. For him, preserving the human element is essential to avoid a sci‑fi scenario where robots simply replace people.
“We are not seeking to replace humans,” Tunstall said.
“However, robotics can handle basic chores—think robot vacuum cleaners or lawn‑mowing robots. With AI, these machines could take over many of the routine tasks we currently perform ourselves.”
Regarding timing, Tunstall believes this future may arrive sooner than many expect.
“I expect our industry to roll out these innovations quickly; progress tends to be faster than we anticipate.”
Although the technology is not yet mature, Tunstall is optimistic that it will reach consumers soon—both abroad and in Europe.
“We need to commercialize these technologies and bring them to market; they aren’t available yet, but they should arrive shortly within the industry.”
From innovation to the market
However, launching new technology also requires tailoring it to diverse consumers. Haier’s global footprint enables it to develop technologies and components worldwide, then adapt the final products to local habits and preferences.
“The Chinese consumer prepares meals quite differently from the British consumer, as you can imagine,” he told Euronews.
These variations extend beyond continents; Tunstall notes that there is no single archetypal European consumer either.
“The French consumer differs from the broader European market, and the English consumer varies greatly from Italians. Even within Europe, we face many distinct consumer profiles, so we must listen closely to individual needs and deliver the products they want.”
For now, some of Haier’s concepts remain just that—concepts. However, Tunstall suggests visitors may not have to wait long to see which of these ideas will move from the exhibition floor to the market.
“We’ll return next year as well, possibly launching some of the concepts we are presenting today.”
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