LG unveils AI ‘Affectionate Intelligence’ car cabin at CES

LG Electronics will showcase an AI-driven in-vehicle experience at CES 2026 after winning a CES 2026 Best of Innovation Award in the In-Vehicle Entertainment category.

The company will present an immersive future mobility exhibit built around what it calls Affectionate Intelligence. The concept reimagines the car cabin as a human-centred space across driver, front-passenger and rear seating areas.

The award is the first Best of Innovation win for LG's Vehicle Solution Company. The unit supplies automotive systems including displays, head units and vision systems to global carmakers.

LG has developed a suite of systems under an AI-Defined Vehicle architecture. The platform combines display technology, in-cabin sensing and on-device AI processing.

Three core systems

The showcase focuses on three main solutions. These are the Mobility Display Solution, the Automotive Vision Solution and the In-Vehicle Entertainment Solution.

The Mobility Display Solution turns the windshield into an information surface. The system uses a transparent OLED display that overlays digital content on the driver's view of the road.

LG said visitors at CES will see how the interface filters information. The system presents what the AI judges to be essential for the current driving context.

One demonstration shows a vehicle approaching a traffic signal. The windshield display shows the remaining wait time above the signal. The system withholds other information at that point.

The company will also show how the display behaves in autonomous driving mode. The AI analyses the external environment and generates matching visual scenes on the glass.

On tree-lined roads it shows drifting cherry blossom petals. In tunnels it replaces the monotonous view with a digital forest scene. LG positions this as an immersive experience that resembles virtual reality.

In-cabin vision

The Automotive Vision Solution focuses on safety and personalisation. It uses LG's Automotive Vision System and advanced in-cabin sensing.

The system tracks driver and passenger behaviour in real time. It monitors movement, gaze direction, attention, clothing colour and gestures.

The collected data allows the system to infer an occupant's state. It then adjusts interactions and content accordingly.

Eye tracking and gesture control expand how users can request information. The graphics use anamorphic techniques that create depth and a sense of realism.

LG will show a scenario that links the vision system with commerce. In autonomous driving mode, a front-seat passenger may look at an advertisement on a building. Gaze recognition can trigger related information on the passenger display.

The system can then present options for product discovery and purchasing. This ties the in-car interface to exterior visual stimuli.

Personalised entertainment

The In-Vehicle Entertainment Solution concentrates on content and communication. It uses AI to match media to the passenger and the journey.

One feature links external scenery with stored personal media. When the vehicle passes a location, the system can recognise the view. It can then show photos associated with past memories of that place on the window display.

Passengers can share the images through live video calls. The system connects them with family members and displays the shared content during the call.

During long trips, the AI suggests entertainment options. Recommendations draw on individual viewing and listening preferences.

LG said the aim is to make travel time feel more engaging. The company describes the approach as turning long distances into memorable experiences.

The automotive business forms a key growth area for LG. The Vehicle Solution Company has expanded into software-defined vehicles, lighting, e-powertrain and cybersecurity.

Several of the in-cabin sensing technologies in the CES showcase are already in use with global carmakers. LG positions the CES display as an indication of future mass-market deployments.

"We are bringing our future mobility vision to life by embedding AI across our solutions - many of which, including in-cabin sensing, are already in production with global OEMs," said Eun Seok-hyun, president of the LG Vehicle Solution Company. "By accelerating these innovations to market, we aim to pioneer the era of AI-driven vehicles in the years ahead"

LG will exhibit the Affectionate Intelligence-based mobility systems at its CES 2026 booth at the Las Vegas Convention Centre.