Google Gemini recognizes what leftover food is still in the Samsung refrigerator

Contents

AI is on everyone's lips – literally, at Samsung, not just figuratively. At CES 2026, the company showcased a new version of a smart refrigerator with a touchscreen display (Family Hub) and internal cameras, which is intended to help manage groceries, shopping, and cooking with the help of Google's latest AI generation.

The prototype was a Bespoke series double-door refrigerator. Unlike previous versions, it is not assisted by Samsung's Bixby voice assistant and image AI, but by the algorithms of Google Gemini.

Gemini knows what's in the fridge

Using built-in cameras and image recognition, the software can inform you about which groceries are in the refrigerator upon request. Previous Bespoke models have already promised this. In contrast to their AI underpinnings, the software, powered by Google, is intended to recognize more than the currently possible 37 fresh foods and 50 manually learned, processed products. Samsung did not specify the exact new maximum. Regardless, food stored in kitchen containers can be manually recorded and managed in a grocery list accessible via the refrigerator display and smartphone app.

In the best-case scenario, you won't have to guess in the supermarket what's missing for an evening meal, but simply consult the software. If desired, personalized recipe suggestions can be generated based on the refrigerator's contents. According to Samsung, this could include a stir-fry dish made from whatever is currently available in the vegetable drawer or a breakfast smoothie with the available fruits.

Google Gemini is also said to be able to convert cooking videos into step-by-step recipes. If you use a connected Bespoke oven, the corresponding cooking settings from the recipe can be automatically transferred to it. The oven then preheats to the required temperature.

AI still awaiting reality check

During an initial impression at a product demonstration in Las Vegas, the new cool AI tricks worked, but only within a simplified scenario. The show refrigerator was equipped with relatively few objects that corresponded in shape, color, and fill level to the idealized images in a supermarket flyer. The spatial gaps between them were large.

Furthermore, the show staff unpacked and placed the objects in the refrigerator conspicuously slowly. Both of these factors are likely to fundamentally simplify image analysis for the cameras.

In practice, however, refrigerators are often densely packed sometimes contain half-empty containers that partially obscure each other. Labels are often half-torn or scribbled. Items may be removed hastily and placed thoughtlessly, without regard for whether they are easily recognizable by the cameras. According to Samsung, the image AI cannot recognize and list food items in door compartments or in the freezer. Therefore, it was difficult to assess at the trade show how well the technology copes with the chaotic reality of a kitchen.

Seven years of software updates

In addition to Google Gemini, the refrigerator is closely integrated with Samsung's software ecosystem. The device is configured using the Samsung SmartThings smart home platform and its app. The smartphone app called Samsung Food is used for grocery management and recipe assistance.

Without the software integration, the device is hardly smarter than a conventional refrigerator. To alleviate concerns about planning security, Samsung promises to deliver software updates for seven years – without specifying which part of the functionality will be kept up-to-date.

Samsung did not say in Las Vegas when and at what price the Bespoke AI Refrigerator Family Hub with Google Gemini will go on sale.

(mho)