TELUS launches AI smart home assistant for one app

TELUS has launched SmartHome Assistant, an artificial intelligence tool for managing smart home devices. It says the product is the first smart home AI assistant to use generative user interface technology.

The launch adds a new layer to TELUS's SmartHome+ platform, introduced in late 2024. Rolling out to SmartHome+ customers, the assistant is designed to bring connected devices and services into a single app.

Smart home users often rely on separate apps for lighting, security cameras, heating controls, appliances and entertainment devices. TELUS says the assistant can bring together more than 2,000 device models from multiple brands, reducing the number of interfaces consumers need to use.

The system takes input from voice commands, images, sensor data and video feeds, then builds an interface around the task the user wants to complete. A customer could ask it to switch off a television during homework time, check camera footage to see when a visitor arrived, or generate troubleshooting steps from a photograph of a device problem.

Single interface

TELUS is positioning the product as a solution to one of the smart home market's longest-running problems: fragmentation. Households may own multiple connected devices, but they are often made by different manufacturers and controlled through separate apps, account systems and rules.

The assistant creates automations visually as users make requests. For example, if a user asks for the television to be disabled during homework hours, the system can build that automation in the interface for review or editing. It can also analyse security camera footage to check whether a dog walker arrived on time and show a clip of the person leaving the driveway.

The service also supports bundled commands across the home. A user leaving for work could ask it to turn off lights, check that an iron is unplugged, set the thermostat to eco mode and lock the front door, then save those actions as a routine for later use.

"The true test of any smart home platform is whether it actually makes life easier and your home more enjoyable. The TELUS SmartHome Assistant delivers that with one app, one login, and one AI assistant that can support thousands of smart devices, including those already existing in homes or ones consumers choose to buy to compliment their existing set-up," said Dwayne Benefield, chief product officer at TELUS.

Benefield said TELUS also sees potential beyond its domestic customer base. "Nothing else like it exists in the market. We're proud to not only bring this to Canadians, but also to service providers on a global scale who can customize and deploy this innovation under their own brands. TELUS is truly transforming an entire industry, and there's so much more in store: In the coming weeks, TELUS SmartHome Assistant will launch internet management capabilities, enabling users to monitor and optimize Wi-Fi performance and manage family usage and screen time through natural conversation and automated actions across devices," he said.

Broader push

The launch also highlights how telecoms operators are trying to extend customer relationships beyond connectivity into software and home services. For TELUS, smart home products sit alongside its core broadband and mobile operations while adding another subscription-based product line.

Since the debut of SmartHome+, the company has expanded the platform to include automation, video and energy-related features. The assistant now serves as the AI layer across those services, linking device management, routine creation and camera review in the same app.

TELUS says the assistant improves over time as new devices are added and as it learns from user interactions. The platform was also designed and built in Canada.

The company is also offering the product to service providers outside its retail business, allowing other operators to adapt and offer the assistant under their own brands. That suggests TELUS is pursuing not only consumer subscription revenue but also a business-to-business route for the technology.

It is available nationwide in Canada to SmartHome+ users. TELUS is also tying the service to promotions on smart devices and installation for new subscribers who commit to a 24-month term.

The launch comes as large technology groups and device makers push further into AI assistants that can work across apps, screens and connected devices. In the smart home market, the main challenge has often been less about adding new gadgets than making them work together in a coherent way for users.

TELUS says its assistant is designed to address that issue by turning requests into actions and editable routines in one interface, while drawing on data from devices already installed around the home.