Everything is AI these days. It’s everywhere: I open LinkedIn, everybody talks about how addicted they are to vibe coding, Suno is creating albums by digital artists, Chinese visual AI agents compete with Midjourney and create full-production videos. At some point, I caught myself thinking that maybe I just want to move into a cabin in the woods and disconnect from all of it. But then I realized something slightly ironic. Even if I escape into the woods, the intelligence will follow me. Because AI is no longer just on screens. It is moving into physical space. Smart homes are not a trend; they’ve already become part of our daily lives. So, I decided to speak with someone who has been working on intelligent systems long before this AI wave became loud. Engineer Ilshat Karamov, who has been working with “Smart” homes for a decade now, founded a couple of companies in the space, but a little bit ahead of time. Now, he is working on a new one, and definitely has spent more than a decade thinking about reliability, home-based AI, and the architecture beneath so-called smart environments. M: I’ll start honestly. I wanted to escape AI. And then I realized even my house might be running it. Is that paranoia, or is that where we are heading? M: I’ll start honestly. I wanted to escape AI. And then I realized even my house might be running it. Is that paranoia, or is that where we are heading? Ilshat Karamov: Well, as you probably aware, intelligence has been entering physical infrastructure for years, just not in such a visible way. We used to think of AI as something abstract, something happening in data centers. But when you embed sensors, wireless protocols, and adaptive firmware into buildings, the home becomes part of the computational system. I might be wrong here, but I think the shift feels overwhelming because it is invisible. You do not see the logic layer. You only experience its effects. Ilshat Karamov: M: So when we say “smart home,” are we actually talking about intelligence, or just automation with better marketing? M: So when we say “smart home,” are we actually talking about intelligence, or just automation with better marketing? Ilshat Karamov: As for me, most systems today are still automation. They react. You press a button, and a sensor triggers -- just a routine executes. That is not the same as prediction or contextual awareness. Ilshat Karamov: True intelligence requires longitudinal data. It requires systems that observe patterns over weeks or months, then adapt gradually. That is technically harder and less glamorous. Marketing often jumps ahead of engineering, unfortunately. Probably, it’s not always a bad thing, though. M: You worked on modular wireless alarm systems before AI became a buzzword. What worries you when you look at today’s smart home ecosystem? M: You worked on modular wireless alarm systems before AI became a buzzword. What worries you when you look at today’s smart home ecosystem? Ilshat Karamov: Honestly, reliability still worries me. AI depends on data integrity. But wireless communication in residential environments is inherently unstable. Concrete walls attenuate signals. Interference fluctuates. Power cycles introduce inconsistencies. I might be wrong here, but I think many consumer devices are designed around ideal conditions rather than chaotic ones. When instability propagates upward into machine learning layers, predictions become unreliable. In my opinion, the base layer must be stable before we add intelligence on top. Ilshat Karamov: M: A lot of systems rely heavily on cloud processing. Does that concern you? M: A lot of systems rely heavily on cloud processing. Does that concern you? Ilshat Karamov: It concerns me slightly, yes. Cloud models are powerful, especially for large-scale analytics. But if your home depends entirely on external servers for core decisions, you introduce latency and dependency. I believe safety-critical decisions should increasingly happen locally. Edge processing provides immediacy and a degree of independence. It’s not about rejecting cloud infrastructure, but rather about architectural balance. Ilshat Karamov: M: When you talk about predictive living, what does that actually mean technically? M: Ilshat Karamov: Prediction requires modeling baseline behavior. For example, energy consumption patterns form signatures over time. Entry patterns have statistical rhythms. Environmental conditions fluctuate within expected ranges. When the system detects deviations from those baselines, it can act preemptively. That is different from reacting to isolated triggers. Well, as you probably aware, humans are not good at noticing gradual change. Systems can assist with that, provided their underlying measurements are accurate. Ilshat Karamov: M: Is there a scenario where smart homes become too intelligent? Ilshat Karamov: Well, that depends on governance and transparency. If systems make opaque decisions without user understanding, trust erodes. In my opinion, intelligence must remain interpretable at some level. I think the future will favor systems that are adaptive yet explainable, even if the explanation is simplified. Ilshat Karamov: Well, M: Where do you see this going in five years? Ilshat Karamov: I personally think we are moving toward context-aware environments. Homes will process behavioral rhythms, environmental signals, and external data such as weather or energy pricing in real time. The shift will be incremental rather than dramatic. From my experience, the most advanced systems will feel less visible, not more. Fewer constant interactions. More quiet alignment with human routine. Ilshat Karamov: M: So if I do move into the woods, will I escape? Ilshat Karamov: Haha, well, you  might escape the hype. But intelligence embedded in infrastructure is not a trend. It is an architectural shift. The real question, in my opinion, is not whether homes become intelligent. It is whether we design that intelligence with discipline and stability. Ilshat Karamov:

Between Two Computer Monitors: This story includes an interview between the writer and guest/interviewee. 

Your Smart Home Probably Isn’t As Reliable As You Think: Here Is Why

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