Samsung said it began pushing a software update on Sunday to select Bespoke AI Family Hub refrigerators in the U.S. that integrates Google $GOOGL's Gemini AI model to dramatically expand the number of foods the appliances can recognize.
The update raises the total number of identifiable food items from about 100 to more than 2,000, according to Engadget. Achieving that expansion requires pairing Google's cloud-based models with Samsung's existing on-device recognition technology, meaning the appliance must have an active Wi-Fi connection. The update is rolling out to select 32-inch display models; an expansion to 9-inch display versions and additional global markets is planned in phases throughout 2026, Samsung said.
Beyond food recognition, the update makes improvements to the refrigerator's food management tools. Brand differentiation has also improved, with the system capable of telling Diet Coke apart from Coke Zero and keeping an accurate tally of how many of each are in the fridge, according to Engadget. For perishable items, the refrigerator logs how long they have been inside and can alert users when those foods may be nearing the end of their shelf life. Items that are pulled from the fridge on a regular basis can trigger a prompt asking whether they should be added to a shopping list.
The update also introduces changes to the refrigerator's Now Brief display, which serves as the default screen. New widgets include Trending Recipes, which surfaces popular recipe videos; FoodNote, which draws on the fridge's food list to show frequently used ingredients and suggest recipes; and What's For Today?, which offers meal recommendations based on what is currently stocked inside, Samsung said.
Bixby, Samsung's voice assistant, is also being upgraded to support more natural conversational commands. Users can, for example, ask Bixby to lower the fridge temperature when loading groceries or pause ice production while away from home. A Voice ID feature allows the system to identify individual household members by voice and tailor content such as calendar reminders, news, and health data to each person. Up to six accounts can be registered on a single device, Samsung said.
Jeong Seung Moon, executive vice president and head of the R&D team for Samsung's Digital Appliances business, said in a statement: "A home appliance's value should not be fixed at the moment of purchase. It should grow as the technology around it evolves."
A hands-on preview of the new software, reported by Engadget, found substantially better recognition performance compared to the prior version, though errors still occurred — including one instance where the camera flagged a brightly colored bandage on someone's finger as a vegetable.