Attending CEDIA Expo/CIX always offers a window to the cutting edge of the professional smart home industry, and AI will likely be on that edge for some time.
AI is now baked into so many of the products and solutions that were showcased on the show floor at the Colorado Convention Center, and these intelligent tools are truly bringing the “smart” in smart home.
However, AI wasn’t only present in exhibitor booths; it was everywhere: booths, Smart Stage, CEDIA programming, and conversations around the show floor.
Here’s a look at some of the notable ways of how AI was garnering attention at CEDIA Expo 2025.
AI Isn’t Just in the Smart Homes You Create—It’s in Your Tools Too
For those of you who got to the show floor early enough on Thursday and made your way to the Smart Stage, you saw Sonance CEO Ari Supran give his incredible presentation on AI tools that are designed to make you and your employees more efficient.
By this point, Supran has done this presentation or a similar one so many times that he can probably talk about this stuff with his eyes closed (or just have AI do it for him). We saw it at Azione’s spring conference and simply had to have him give a version of it on the Smart Stage.
The presentation is essentially a demo of a day in Supran’s life in which he heavily leverages the use of AI solutions that allow him to live the life of a busy tech CEO. Dictation tools, generative AI, content generation, mobile AI assistants, custom AI models, and on and on. Essentially, he is an AI power user and an early adopter. If you have the chance to listen to Supran talk about this stuff, do not miss out.
Some tools that you’re probably already familiar with, like D-Tools and Portal.io, are quickly bringing AI into their respective platforms.
Portal.io showcased key updates to its AI Proposal Builder that streamline the proposal process for integrators. The upgraded version eliminates placeholder products and instead pulls directly from a dealer’s preferred catalog, making proposals faster, cleaner, and more accurate.
“So now placeholders are basically going away, and we’re building actual proposals with actual items that the dealer sells,” said Josh Willits of Portal.io.
Dealers also gain flexibility to separate labor from product lineups, while new integrations with Zoho and QuickBooks round out Portal.io’s push to deliver smarter, easier-to-use tools tailored for the custom integration industry.
D-Tools highlighted new mobile apps for both D-Tools Cloud and SI, along with advanced interconnect diagrams and deeper AI capabilities. The apps, available on iOS and Android, allow office and field users to manage schedules, inventory, service calls, and projects. AI will soon assist with quoting, natural-language search, analytics, and even troubleshooting in the field.
“We’re building AI capabilities throughout the application, both within D-Tools Cloud native, as well as with our mobile,” said Tim Bigoness, CMO of D-Tools.
Bigoness noted that D-Tools’ partnership with Stellar IQ provides both funding and AI expertise, ensuring artificial intelligence becomes “a part of D-Tools’ DNA moving forward.”
Intelligent Home Automation and Entertainment Systems
Finally, let’s get to the sexy application of AI and our industry: intelligent home automation systems.
We’ll start with a company with the literal topic of this article in their company’s name. Josh.ai, an innovator in the home control space when it comes to voice control and AI, highlighted its new AI X OS, its next-gen operating system that unifies control across touch, voice, and text.
Key new features of the Josh.ai platform include the Lighting Intelligence Controller for advanced color and circadian lighting, AI Scenes that proactively suggest routines, and Advanced AV Distribution 2.0 for high-performance media. A demo at the company’s booth included using voice to create scenes tailored to a user’s environment.
In addition to new leadership and a new vision, Nice North America spotlighted OS 9, the latest version of its ELAN-branded home management platform, with AI woven throughout the experience. Central to the update is the Nice Voice Assistant, a fully native voice control system that requires no third-party devices or data sharing. Built directly into OS 9, it allows homeowners to manage lighting, shading, climate, security, and entertainment with simple voice commands.
The ELAN OS 9 also introduces 3D Floorplan Mapping, enhanced personalization tools, and walk-up facial recognition, giving users a more intelligent and intuitive way to interact with their smart homes.
Also in the way of voice was URC Voice, a proprietary voice-enabled control platform designed to work across the company’s Total Control and Complete Control systems. The update reflects URC’s broader push into AI-driven functionality, with plans to further integrate intelligence and personalization into its control ecosystem. By expanding its voice and automation tools, URC is positioning itself to deliver more adaptive, intuitive experiences for both residential and commercial users.
Ring showcased how it is weaving AI deeper into its ecosystem to improve both security and user experience. The company demonstrated smart video search, allowing Alexa to scan recordings for descriptions like “a man in a purple shirt” and instantly pull up relevant clips. Ring also highlighted progress in identifying animals like specific dog breeds while working toward more nuanced motion descriptions to reduce notification fatigue.
Combined with role-based access for professional installers and PoE-enabled outdoor cameras, Ring’s AI-driven updates are designed to give dealers more powerful tools and homeowners a more intuitive, proactive system.
Kaleidescape’s new kAI feature, launched at CEDIA Expo 2025, introduces natural-language search to the Kaleidescape Movie Store’s web interface to make content discovery more intuitive. Now, users can type questions like “What’s the movie where the guy falls in love with the machine?” or filter by prompts such as “set in space” or “appropriate for teens,” and kAI surfaces tailored results from thousands of 4K and HD titles.
Alongside this, Kaleidescape continues to offer lossless audio and seamless integration with its hardware line, reinforcing its mission to make movie selection feel effortless and personalized.
AI’s strong presence at CEDIA Expo 2025 made it clear that artificial intelligence is no longer just a buzzword. It’s a core driver of innovation across every corner of the custom integration industry. From back-office tools that streamline proposals and project management to consumer-facing platforms that personalize entertainment, security, and automation, AI is shaping how integrators work and how homeowners experience their technology.
