TCL and Microsoft unveil AI-powered smart terminals at CES 2026

This TCL–Microsoft tie‑up is a concrete example of how foundation models are seeping into everyday hardware at scale. By wiring Azure OpenAI and Copilot into TVs, phones and home appliances, TCL is effectively turning its installed base into a massive, real‑world testbed for multimodal agents that live in the OS layer, not just in apps. That has huge implications for user data, personalization and how quickly conversational interfaces can become the default way people interact with their devices.

Strategically, Microsoft gains another high‑volume OEM to extend its AI stack beyond PCs and cloud, shoring up its position against Google’s Gemini‑powered Android ecosystem and Samsung’s Galaxy AI ambitions. For Chinese OEMs like TCL, leaning on U.S. cloud AI rather than solely domestic models is a way to differentiate globally while still hedging regulatory risk. The more homes are filled with devices that can listen, see and act across contexts, the closer we move toward ambient AI—an environment in which an eventual AGI could be continuously engaged with people’s workflows rather than confined to a chat window.