AI’s continued profusion of the professional smart home is getting a substantial nod as CEDIA Expo, the largest North American tradeshow for the channel, has announced more educational and hands-on opportunities to see AI in action will be present at the 2026 edition of the show.
Why Show Leadership is Seeing a Bigger AI Presence for 2026
“AI is clearly one of the biggest forces shaping the future of smart homes and integrated technology, and it will be a major focus of programming at CEDIA Expo/CIX 2026,” said Jason McGraw, Group Vice President and Show Director of CEDIA Expo and CIX.
“Some of the most significant product pivots and breakthroughs in this industry have started on our show floor. That’s what happens when you put the right people and the right technologies in the same room and give them space to ideate, ‘what if?’”
Smart Stage Programming on the Future of AI
Though final details are still being worked out, the CEDIA Expo team said the Smart Stage will hold central to the show’s AI education strategy.
According to staff, the programming for the Stage will feature thought leadership discussions examining how manufacturers and integrators are incorporating AI into their product roadmaps and service offerings.
Organizers are also planning a new manufacturer leadership panel, which will bring together executives from some of the industry’s leading technology brands to discuss how AI is influencing product innovation and what the next wave of automation looks like.
AI’s Already Strong Presence at CEDIA Expo
AI has already established itself firmly within the Expo itself, as, outside of education, AI has been incorporated into the product stacks of hundreds of manufacturers.
Exhibitors, including Nice, Josh.ai, Deep Sentinel, DoorBird and other intelligent automation providers continue to demonstrate key advancements in the field, with this year likely to play host to even more advancements than in years prior, as longtime exhibitors like Savant are already demoing available aspects of its AI in preparation.
Companies including D-Tools, Portal.io, Rev.io, Specifi IO, and Symbol Logic will also be showcasing this year with AI-enabled platforms targeting business management.
The Live Component
According to McGraw, the live component is what represents the greatest value, as it’s what he said gets brought up most consistently as a major benefit from show attendees.
“Nothing replaces being able to talk to the engineers, see the technology operating live, and explore how it fits into your next project,” said McGraw. “You can research products
“We want attendees to hear directly from the brands shaping the future,” McGraw explained. “What is their vision? What does the roadmap look like? And how are they implementing technologies like AI to create better outcomes for integrators and their customers?”
The URC Story
URC credits its new AI-driven circadian lighting capability to conversations on the show floor at the 2025 CEDIA Expo and CIX shows.
URC lead software engineer Justin Spiniolas said the spark to use AI came during a discussion with an integrator about the challenges of integrating circadian lighting across different systems.
“I had a ‘lightbulb’ moment,” recalls Spiniolas, having spent his three days at the show immersed in discussions of AI and examples of it already being used by other manufacturers.
Key Takeaways for Integrators
AI continues to be a powerhouse across all industries, though in custom integration (CI), its truly transformational aspects are starting to become split between business management software and the systems that integrators install on a regular basis.
As its use cases evolve, the primary limiting factor for it being used effectively is awareness, education and exposure, and everyone running a business in this industry is aware of that to some degree, as in prior years, programming surrounding AI has resulted in standing room only crowds.
While there are certainly those who stand head and shoulders above the rest for their implementation of AI, the fact that its such a novel technology means, by and large, the learning going on right now is less from masters to students and more from peer to peer, making large gatherings like CEDIA Expo ideal for education of this nature.
