Sick of waiting for Amazon to release a new Alexa that’s “supercharged” by generative AI? If you’re willing to go the DIY way, you can start controlling your smart home devices with an LLM-powered voice assistant right now.
Home Assistant, a free and open-source home automation platform that’s a favorite among hardcore do-it-yourself smart home enthusiasts, says its Assist voice assistant can now take charge of smart home devices when it’s powered by an LLM—specifically, those offered by OpenAI and Google.
That opens the door to Her-level interactions with Assist such as “Hey, I’m on a Zoom call and people say they can’t see my face, can you fix that?” or “Yo, can you make the room brighter?”
Home Assistant had previously released OpenAI and Google AI integrations for Assist, but until now, the voice assistant didn’t have access to smart home control when it was powered by an LLM.
That’s all changed with this week’s release of Home Assistant Core 2024.6, which opens up home control during LLM-enabled voice chats.
Beyond controlling your smart home devices using natural language prompts, the LLM-powered Assist can understand your intent and solve problems, according to the Home Assistant blog.
So instead of just saying, “Turn office lights up,” you can say, “It’s too dark in here, can you help?” and the LLM-based Assist will—in theory, at least–know what to do.
The best news about Home Assistant’s new LLM-enabled voice assistant capabilities is that they’re available right now.
To get started, you’ll need to install the platform on a Raspberry Pi or another computer, and doing so requires some DYI expertise.
Once you have Home Assistant installed and configured, you can start chatting with Assist using the Home Assistant app for iOS or Android, or via a web browser. Text chat with Home Assistant’s conversation agents is free, while voiced interactions will set you back $6.50 a month or $65/year.
It’s worth noting that you can’t just go out and buy an off-the-shelf Home Assistant speaker; instead, you’ll have to hack something together (like the HAL 9000-themed speaker pictured above).
Also, while Home Assistant is free, the APIs required for the OpenAI and Google AI integrations can cost you a bundle if you’re not careful. (Google’s Gemini API does offer a free tier with usage limitations).
Furthermore, those LLMs are cloud-based, a turnoff for Home Assistant aficionados who crave exclusively local control for their home control needs. Home Assistant says it’s working with Nvidia on developing a local LLM that’s capable of home control.
Personally, I can’t wait to install Home Assistant on my spare Raspberry Pi board and start living out my Her dreams–minus the existential romance, I hope.
Updated June 7, 2024 to clarify that voiced interactions with Home Assistant’s conversation agents involve a monthly fee, and that Google’s Gemini API offers a free tier.
Author: Ben Patterson, Senior Writer, TechHive
Ben has been writing about technology and consumer electronics for more than 20 years. A PCWorld contributor since 2014, Ben joined TechHive in 2019, where he has covered everything from smart speakers and soundbars to smart lights and security cameras. Ben's articles have also appeared in PC Magazine, TIME, Wired, CNET, Men's Fitness, Mobile Magazine, and more. Ben holds a master's degree in English literature.