DITAA 2026: AI should work behind the scenes instead of becoming another feature to manage, says Bijoy Alaylo, Director and COO, TP-Link
Follow UsBijoy Alaylo says AI should quietly improve appliances instead of becoming another feature users have to manage.
AI can filter surveillance camera notifications and alert users only when something important happens.
Alaylo believes AI should assist users, not make important decisions on their behalf.
Digit has recently concluded its India’s Top Appliance Awards (DITAA 2026). Many leading home appliance brands and industry voices were present during the event as they discussed how technology is changing everyday products. During a panel discussion on the growing use of artificial intelligence in appliances, Bijoy Alaylo, Director and COO, TP-Link, argued that AI should make devices easier to use rather than give consumers another feature to monitor. He said the best AI is often the kind users barely notice because it works in the background. Alaylo also stressed that AI should not take important decisions away from consumers, placing control firmly in the hands of the people using connected devices in their homes.
SurveyTalking about the role of AI in connected devices, Alaylo said consumers should not have to think about whether a particular feature is powered by AI. Instead, the technology should simply make the device work better. He noted that ‘AI is a thing which should be working at the backend. If you have to promote it for somebody to use it, it is not actually working for you.
Alaylo used surveillance cameras as an example to explain how AI can improve an everyday device. He said that cameras earlier could send alerts whenever they detected movement, which could mean notifications every time a person, pet or vehicle appeared in front of them. However, the AI can now identify what is actually happening and decide which alerts are important enough to send to the user.
He said this kind of AI can reduce unnecessary notifications and make devices more useful. But Alaylo also believes that there should be a clear limit to how far automation goes. He also added that AI should not make decisions for you, and when AI goes into the decision-making mode, it should not be okay.
According to Alaylo, consumers should continue to have the final say over how their devices operate. He said users should be able to configure their devices according to their requirements instead of allowing AI to make those choices on their behalf. ‘The decision has always to lie with the customer,’ Alaylo said. ‘If they want a certain device to work in a certain way, it has to be configured from their end.’
During the discussion, Alaylo said smarter appliances do not necessarily need to offer consumers more features to control. Instead, AI should quietly take care of routine tasks while leaving important decisions to users. Moreover, he also noted that for connected homes the bigger question may therefore not be how much AI an appliance has, but whether that AI can make everyday life easier while leaving important choices with the person using it.
