Philips Hue Adds Custom AI Behaviors to App
The feature lets users create Hue lighting automations with natural language, but early testing found a bug that turned on all lights.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
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Philips Hue has launched Custom AI Behaviors in its app, allowing users to describe desired lighting automations in plain language. Early testing by HueBlog found an AI-created behavior turned on all lights instead of only the specified ones.
Why it matters
The feature lowers the technical barrier to building smart lighting automations, but the reported malfunction shows the output may not always match what users request. Users also cannot edit behaviors the AI creates.
Custom AI Behaviors require the Hue Bridge Pro, and the AI translates natural-language requests into a proprietary programming language that runs the automation on the Bridge. In HueBlog's test, the AI-created behavior activated every light, and when asked to fix it the system displayed an error message.
The players
Philips Hue
Philips Hue is a smart lighting brand owned by Signify that sells connected bulbs and a Bridge hub for home automation.
George Yianni
George Yianni is a Philips Hue executive who described the upcoming Custom AI Behaviors features to TechRadar.
HueBlog
HueBlog is a independent blog covering Philips Hue smart lighting products, which conducted the early hands-on test of the feature.
The details
Users describe the desired behavior in natural language, and the AI builds the automation and adds it to the Hue app for iOS and Android. The update also simplifies Screen Sync setup and improves scene recommendations for all Hue users, not only Bridge Pro owners.
Timeline
September 2026: George Yianni described the upcoming Custom AI Behaviors features to TechRadar.
November 2, 2026: Custom AI Behaviors arrived in the Philips Hue app.
The Tech Race
Custom AI Behaviors extend the Hue Bridge Pro, which previously gained the SpatialAware scene optimization feature, by moving automation creation from manual configuration to natural language. The move places Philips Hue among smart-home platforms experimenting with generative AI to simplify device control.
Owners of the Hue Bridge Pro can now describe lighting routines in plain language instead of building them manually, though they should check that AI-created behaviors affect only the intended lights. Users cannot edit AI-created behaviors, so a flawed automation may need to be deleted and recreated.
The takeaway
Natural-language controls can make smart home automation far easier to set up, but users should test AI-generated routines before relying on them. Verify that each behavior affects only the lights you intend.
Further reading
For more on how AI is being built into everyday products, see Artificial Intelligence.
Source note: This article includes information reported by TechRadar.
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