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"The refrigerator is dead": Samsung's AI fridges shut down after update, causes outrage
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moldy_rice piefed.keyboardvagabond.com moldy_rice@piefed.keyboardvagabond.com
Joined: 2026-08-07
Banned
#52 · Quote Reply

If you buy a refrigerator that needs an internet connection, you deserve this tbh It's a box that makes stuff cold for ffs ain't no damn 1s or 0s required
[removed by moderator]
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Hemingways_Shotgun lemmy.ca Adderbox76@lemmy.ca
Joined: 2023-06-07
#53 · Quote Reply

I've spent 20 days waiting for a part from China to (hopefully) repair my 18 year old very basic fridge because I refuse to get some stupid fucking touchscreen internet connected advertising box.

I fucking hate the modern world.

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MinnesotaGoddam lemmy.world HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-27
#54 · Quote Reply

I have smart lights that can be controlled over the internet. If the internet connection goes down, I can also control them locally. If the local network fails, I have physical light switches. All smart devices should fail into a safe and functional mode when the smart features inevitably stop working. It seems Samsung doesn't subscribe to that philosophy.

Of course not. Failing into a safe and functional mode doesn't get people to buy more fridges

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NotMyOldRedditName lemmy.world NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-08-24
#55 · (edited) Quote Reply

I've spent 20 days waiting for a part from China to (hopefully) repair my 18 year old very basic fridge because I refuse to get some stupid fucking touchscreen internet connected advertising box. I fucking hate the modern world.

its pretty easy to get a fridge still without a touch screen. The 1st two pages on costco here (I didn't go further) don't have one.

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Napster153 lemmy.world Napster153@lemmy.world
Joined: 2026-03-31
#56 · Quote Reply

I have smart lights that can be controlled over the internet. If the internet connection goes down, I can also control them locally. If the local network fails, I have physical light switches. All smart devices should fail into a safe and functional mode when the smart features inevitably stop working. It seems Samsung doesn't subscribe to that philosophy.

Somehow, a billionaire will swear up and down that what you're saying is beyond cost efficient as he donates his parent's legacy and graves to his AI idol statues.

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Tollana1234567 lemmy.today Tollana1234567@lemmy.today
Joined: 2025-06-04
#57 · (edited) Quote Reply

is this that 2000-3000k smart samsung fridge? most normal fridges have a lifespan of around 5years now, due to planned oblescence. earlier this week i thought our fridge died, but the control switch for fridgeaire just got turned to freezing, which has never worked(and is a known defect).

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Tollana1234567 lemmy.today Tollana1234567@lemmy.today
Joined: 2025-06-04
#58 · Quote Reply

A refrigerator should never need an update. Smart appliances are the stupidest shit I ever heard of. A refrigerator should not need anything but an outlet and maybe a water connection.

not as bad as those people buying a SMART MATRESS.

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Tollana1234567 lemmy.today Tollana1234567@lemmy.today
Joined: 2025-06-04
#59 · Quote Reply

What would be really cool is if a fridge kept track of how fresh everything was, and alerted users when food spoiled, or was about to spoil, or on track to spoil given how seldom it was consumed. I can't tell you how many times yogurt or sour cream has gone bad in my fridge because everyone forgets it's in there. Also, detecting ice buildup and consequently adjusting humidity or water flow to t...

i doubt it can tell that things are spoiling or moldy, decomposition, spoiling is a complex process, and may look normal ont eh surface but actually went bad if you "smell taste it.

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Axolotl feddit.it Axolotl_cpp@feddit.it
Joined: 2025-10-10
#60 · Quote Reply

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I mean, we had analog thermometers for a loooong time

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blockheadjt sh.itjust.works blockheadjt@sh.itjust.works
Joined: 2024-08-23
#61 · Quote Reply

i doubt it can tell that things are spoiling or moldy, decomposition, spoiling is a complex process, and may look normal ont eh surface but actually went bad if you "smell taste it.

More likely would be a system that uses cameras to see what you put in, alongside a program to identify what type of item it is, and a record of its estimated time of spoiling. Say you put in a pack of bagels, and the fridge deduces it is a new pack because you haven't recently taken bagels out. The fridge estimates they will probably last 1-2 weeks. Then depending on how much they are removed and put back in, it might throw a reminder on the screen "bagels still good?" etc

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SirEDCaLot lemmy.today SirEDCaLot@lemmy.today
Joined: 2023-11-04
#62 · Quote Reply

Why was it even able to fail that way to begin with? It's not like the functional software in a refrigerator needs to be updated that often at all. You'd think that if the update fails catastrophically, it would fall back to a basic operating mode like a car does. Do they have a renting system or something in the works that's meant to let them shut the device remotely?

My guess is they tried to save money by reducing controllers.

A smartly designed fridge would be much like a car. In a car you have a number of relatively dumb computers that handle things like the engine or battery and motors. And then you have smart connected computers for things like infotainment and app access and self driving. The smart computers have a relatively simple data path to send instructions to the dumb computers like 'start the engine' and get data back like 'engine temperature is 190F'.
In a fridge you would have a dumb controller that handles the compressor, defrosting, temperature control, fan speed, lighting, etc. Then whatever internet AI bullshit would be on a separate smart computer that sends the dumb controller commands like 'set fridge temp to 37f'.

It sounds like in this case they put the smart controller in charge of everything. That is, the touch screen computer is also telling the compressor when to start and stop. This is not great design for a few reasons, and is actively dangerous in a car- imagine if the users kid slams both hands on the touch screen, the computer locks up because it wasn't expecting 10 touch points at once, and suddenly fuel is injected during an exhaust stroke and the engine explodes. And as we see here it's not smart in a fridge either- touch screen crashes and all your food goes bad.

Personally I think the smart play is stay the hell away from all of these smart connected appliances. They offer very little benefit for the user, but provide a pathway for the manufacturer to harvest tons of lifestyle data and sell it.

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WoodScientist lemmy.world WoodScientist@lemmy.world
Joined: 2024-09-06
#63 · Quote Reply

A refrigerator should never need an update. Smart appliances are the stupidest shit I ever heard of. A refrigerator should not need anything but an outlet and maybe a water connection.

That's nothing. We had to install a firmware update on a chef's knife! 🤣

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Evotech lemmy.world Evotech@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-10-11
#64 · Quote Reply

and just today i was joking with a friend about a theoretical shitty llm-powered microwave with no buttons quite ironic

That exists. Well, guess it has buttons too

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Cherry piefed.social Cherry@piefed.social
Joined: 2025-06-05
#65 · Quote Reply

Nothing. Is made. Correctly. Anymore. I went to school for industrial design, and I can comfortably say design and how to communicate proper use are fucking dead. Some thing or website or service is made wrong every fucking time I turn around. It is relentless and unreal.

Yup. I was always grappling with form/ function and balance that benefit the user. Seems it’s now ennshittification and subscription are the drivers.

I can see the brief now.

  1. Must have at least one subscription feature
  2. Should make the user mad
  3. Every aspect should have control but is…
    Extra bonus if does not ever en fulfil its purpose.
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raven55six lemmy.world raven55six@lemmy.world
Joined: 2025-08-01
#66 · Quote Reply

Humans are doomed if they need AI in a freaking fridge!

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theparadox lemmy.world theparadox@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-07-31
#67 · Quote Reply

I have smart lights that can be controlled over the internet. If the internet connection goes down, I can also control them locally. If the local network fails, I have physical light switches. All smart devices should fail into a safe and functional mode when the smart features inevitably stop working. It seems Samsung doesn't subscribe to that philosophy.

All smart devices should fail into a safe and functional mode when the smart features inevitably stop working.

I'm horrified that you could possibly advocate for allowing the consumer to have any real control of their own devices. Have you considered the security implications of not requiring devices to be 100% dependent on the manufacturer's server? Users might be able to use the device without first installing the company's app! The user might be able to use the device without the company knowing about it and selling that data for additional profit or using it to train it's AI.

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rose56 lemmy.zip roserose56@lemmy.zip
Joined: 2025-09-17
#68 · (edited) Quote Reply

Let's add internet to every device that exists, and have the devices depend on internet connection.

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PhoenixDog lemmy.world PhoenixDog@lemmy.world
Joined: 2026-01-14
#69 · Quote Reply

That's nothing. We had to install a firmware update on a chef's knife! 🤣

Why the fuck do you even own that?

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Talcosis lemmy.zip impairedimperator@lemmy.zip
Joined: 2026-06-03
#70 · Quote Reply

Doesn’t work for washers and dryers that use sensors to tell when the clothes are clean/dry. Thankfully, my set is “connected” in that you can connect to it to see status updates and adjust notification volume, but everything else is manual. My fridge also has monitoring, and tells you if the inside temperature goes outside range. It also lets you toggle the ice maker, notify you when it’s full...

I didn't know they made those without timers. Mine have those sensors too. I use the time setting.

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PhoenixDog lemmy.world PhoenixDog@lemmy.world
Joined: 2026-01-14
#71 · Quote Reply

Those sensors don't work anyway. Just do it by time.

Those sensors don't work anyway

Mine does... Both my washer and dryer will take longer or shorter of the alloted timer based on how actually "done" the wash is.

A 20 minute cycle on my dryer might end up finishing after 12 minutes. So it turns off.

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LeftReddit2 lemmy.world LeftReddit2@lemmy.world
Joined: 2026-08-10
#72 · Quote Reply

Boy Lois, this is worse than the time the AI fridge called me a fatass.

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TigerAce lemmy.dbzer0.com TigerAce@lemmy.dbzer0.com
Joined: 2025-06-13
#73 · Quote Reply

What is the benifit of AI in devices like fridges, washing machines and dish washers? We've had these devices for years now, even a 40 year old machine works flawlessly, just uses a bit excessive power. A fridge needs to cool, a washing machine needs to clean. They don't need to do anything else, and they did this perfectly when we didn't have AI.

So to my understanding, AI implemented into these machines is just a way to make it more expensive to buy, adds the option for a subscription for constant income acting as a paywall, gives the opportunity to hoard loads of data from the customers and makes it easy to brick the device just after warranty so people buy more of your devices.

TL:DR:

  • Manufacturer benefits: 4
  • Consumer benefits: -4
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Routhinator startrek.website Routhinator@startrek.website
Joined: 2023-06-16
#74 · Quote Reply

I mean, you bought an AI fridge. That's on you.

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Tollana1234567 lemmy.today Tollana1234567@lemmy.today
Joined: 2025-06-04
#75 · Quote Reply

I mean, you bought an AI fridge. That's on you.

an 2-3k AI fridge at that.

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Tollana1234567 lemmy.today Tollana1234567@lemmy.today
Joined: 2025-06-04
#76 · Quote Reply

I've spent 20 days waiting for a part from China to (hopefully) repair my 18 year old very basic fridge because I refuse to get some stupid fucking touchscreen internet connected advertising box. I fucking hate the modern world.

even fridges within the last 10-15 years are crappy. only the ones from early 2000s, or pre-2000 last a long time.

4
JackFrostNCola aussie.zone JackFrostNCola@aussie.zone
Joined: 2025-05-23
#77 · Quote Reply

What odious turd buys an AI fridge??

Someone who finds the concept of seeing the milk getting low and adding to the shopping list manually themselves too baffling.

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BlackLaZoR lemmy.world BlackLaZoR@lemmy.world
Joined: 2026-02-26
#78 · Quote Reply

AI FREAKING FRIDGES!

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Valmond lemmy.dbzer0.com Valmond@lemmy.dbzer0.com
Joined: 2025-11-13
#79 · Quote Reply

One of the reasons techies are burning out is because they are tired of seeing the promise of a new tech and watching it be used to enable surveillance. For a fridge the functionality as an appliance shouldn’t be linked to the functionality as a device with a web browser. Ice bucket low? Sensor sends signal to app, fine. But the fridge doesn’t need to know that; it can keep using the float swit...

But to build an ecosystem like that you'd need a developer, you can't just slop together an app, have you thought about the cost? And the shareholders!!

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Eheran lemmy.world Eheran@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-07-26
#80 · Quote Reply

I've spent 20 days waiting for a part from China to (hopefully) repair my 18 year old very basic fridge because I refuse to get some stupid fucking touchscreen internet connected advertising box. I fucking hate the modern world.

You can sill get "dumb" appliances.

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Eheran lemmy.world Eheran@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-07-26
#81 · Quote Reply

is this that 2000-3000k smart samsung fridge? most normal fridges have a lifespan of around 5years now, due to planned oblescence. earlier this week i thought our fridge died, but the control switch for fridgeaire just got turned to freezing, which has never worked(and is a known defect).

2'000 to 3'000'000? Holy moly that must be a whole cooling complex at the higher spectrum!

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Pat_Riot lemmy.today Pat_Riot@lemmy.today
Joined: 2023-09-29
#82 · Quote Reply

not as bad as those people buying a SMART MATRESS.

Oh hell no

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NatakuNox lemmy.world NatakuNox@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-07-07
#83 · Quote Reply

wait until they start selling your, erm, 'habits' to data brokers and we start seeing websites selling "what are they into" kind of data to people. (people including your employer.... )

Smart watches already can predict pregnancy. If I was a woman, no way I'd wear one in a Pro birth area.

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HugeNerd lemmy.ca HugeNerd@lemmy.ca
Joined: 2025-03-06
#84 · Quote Reply

What is the benifit of AI in devices like fridges, washing machines and dish washers? We've had these devices for years now, even a 40 year old machine works flawlessly, just uses a bit excessive power. A fridge needs to cool, a washing machine needs to clean. They don't need to do anything else, and they did this perfectly when we didn't have AI. So to my understanding, AI implemented into the...

It's part of a social model that needs everyone to work, even if said work has negative value.

We as a species have the resources to create a leisure society for all.

Instead we are trying to make conscious fridges that can't freeze things.

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ForeverComical lemmy.ca UnrepententProcrastinator@lemmy.ca
Joined: 2023-06-18
#85 · Quote Reply

AI FREAKING FRIDGES!

"Engaging lock as per your command of maximum 4 snacks per day"

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lightnsfw reddthat.com lightnsfw@reddthat.com
Joined: 2023-08-15
#86 · Quote Reply

Those sensors don't work anyway Mine does... Both my washer and dryer will take longer or shorter of the alloted timer based on how actually "done" the wash is. A 20 minute cycle on my dryer might end up finishing after 12 minutes. So it turns off.

And then you have to run it again because that sensor has a very different definition of what "extra dry" means than the rest of the world.

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Nollij sopuli.xyz Nollij@sopuli.xyz
Joined: 2023-08-16
#87 · Quote Reply

even fridges within the last 10-15 years are crappy. only the ones from early 2000s, or pre-2000 last a long time.

There were a ton of crappy fridges from back then, too. It's just that most of them have already died.

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fake_meows sopuli.xyz fake_meows@sopuli.xyz
Joined: 2025-06-14
#88 · (edited) Quote Reply

an 2-3k AI fridge at that.

I hope for $3000 it has a digital clock on the door. I mean, what's the point in living if my fridge isn't an alarm clock?

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fake_meows sopuli.xyz fake_meows@sopuli.xyz
Joined: 2025-06-14
#89 · Quote Reply

"Engaging lock as per your command of maximum 4 snacks per day"

Did my stairmaster talk to my fridge?

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AnitaAmandaHuginskis lemmy.world AnitaAmandaHuginskis@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-07-09
#90 · (edited) Quote Reply

Samsung has apologized and will send engineers over the Chuseok break.

Yeah? Will those Samsung engineers also replace my spoiled food? Of course not, shame on me for buying an AI fridge I guess

Fuckers

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PhoenixDog lemmy.world PhoenixDog@lemmy.world
Joined: 2026-01-14
#91 · Quote Reply

And then you have to run it again because that sensor has a very different definition of what "extra dry" means than the rest of the world.

I've owned this dryer for 5 years and had to run a second dry cycle once because a massive sleeping bag was in with some clothes and it was still slightly damp.

But please, continue. I'd love for some dipshit on the Internet to tell me how my own appliances work.

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Cypress lemmy.zip Draegur@lemmy.zip
Joined: 2025-06-07
#92 · Quote Reply

Never buy Samsung appliances.

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Cypress lemmy.zip Draegur@lemmy.zip
Joined: 2025-06-07
#93 · Quote Reply

Samsung has apologized and will send engineers over the Chuseok break. Yeah? Will those Samsung engineers also replace my spoiled food? Of course not, shame on me for buying an AI fridge I guess Fuckers

If I bought an AI Fridge and this happened, I would most certainly immediately decide and accept "This is the direct consequence of my choices. This is my fault. I had this coming. I deserve this."

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TrackinDaKraken lemmy.world DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world
Joined: 2025-02-26
#94 · (edited) Quote Reply

There were a ton of crappy fridges from back then, too. It's just that most of them have already died.

The difference is almost ALL appliances built today are designed to die around the time the warranty expires. And, yes, I realize that's been a trope for a long time, but now it's far more true than it used to be. It used to be a joke, because it happened rarely, now it's not a joke because it happens often.

Twenty years from now, there won't be any appliances built today, still running.

This isn't survivorship bias. The internet taught us that term specifically to excuse enshittification.

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SippyCup lemmy.world SippyCup@lemmy.world
Joined: 2026-01-26
#95 · Quote Reply

If I bought an AI Fridge and this happened, I would most certainly immediately decide and accept "This is the direct consequence of my choices. This is my fault. I had this coming. I deserve this."

What can an AI do for our fridge? I asked myself as I swiped my credit card for a multi thousand dollar purchase. Surely it must do something. Surely this must be an improvement on a dumb box that keeps things cold. I want to talk to my dumb box that keeps things cold, this is certainly a good idea.

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SippyCup lemmy.world SippyCup@lemmy.world
Joined: 2026-01-26
#96 · Quote Reply

I hope for $3000 it has a digital clock on the door. I mean, what's the point in living if my fridge isn't an alarm clock?

There are more clocks in my kitchen than in any room in the house. It's the only room I'm never quite sure of the time in.

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MrScottyTay sh.itjust.works MrScottyTay@sh.itjust.works
Joined: 2023-06-09
#97 · (edited) Quote Reply

More likely would be a system that uses cameras to see what you put in, alongside a program to identify what type of item it is, and a record of its estimated time of spoiling. Say you put in a pack of bagels, and the fridge deduces it is a new pack because you haven't recently taken bagels out. The fridge estimates they will probably last 1-2 weeks. Then depending on how much they are removed ...

In the UK barcodes are getting replaced with qr codes that include everything from best by to ingredients and allergens. A system could easily use that and you just scan the qr code when you put it in the fridge

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BeMoreCareful lemmy.world BeMoreCareful@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-12
#98 · Quote Reply

If I ever find myself in a stable living environment, I think I'll just buy a couple of cheap chest freezers and set one of them as a fridge.

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fake_meows sopuli.xyz fake_meows@sopuli.xyz
Joined: 2025-06-14
#99 · Quote Reply

There are more clocks in my kitchen than in any room in the house. It's the only room I'm never quite sure of the time in.

You need to hire a middle manager.

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Blackmist feddit.uk Blackmist@feddit.uk
Joined: 2023-07-04
#100 · Quote Reply

I hope for $3000 it has a digital clock on the door. I mean, what's the point in living if my fridge isn't an alarm clock?

I bet it would still drift by about ten minutes a month.

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fake_meows sopuli.xyz fake_meows@sopuli.xyz
Joined: 2025-06-14
#101 · Quote Reply

I bet it would still drift by about ten minutes a month.

Which firmware version are you on?

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