Philips Hue announced several software updates for its smart lighting system at IFA 2026. The company’s new Custom AI Behaviors feature allows users to create complex automations by describing in natural language how they want their lights to operate. The system does more than simply change colors or scenes; for example, it can be programmed to use a night-light setting while the user is asleep and time-based color temperature while they are awake. This requires an input, such as a button, that determines whether the user is asleep or awake.
AI also makes it easier to program Hue switches. In one of the examples presented, a user assigned the number 4 button on a Hue dimmer switch the task of disabling the dining room motion sensor. Philips Hue Chief Technology Officer George Yianni said advanced automations had previously remained limited not because the technology was inadequate, but because creating a comprehensive interface in the app was difficult.
Custom AI Behaviors is currently in beta and will be made available next month. The automation engine that powers the feature will also be opened to third-party developers. Sources known to the Hue bridge, such as light color, button presses, sensor events and time, can be used as inputs or outputs.
The feature will only be available on the new Bridge Pro model. While the automation engine will run on the device, the AI assistant will run in the cloud. Philips Hue built the system on the open-weight GLM model family and a domain-specific programming language it developed for communicating with the AI assistant.
The company also announced that, with a software update to be released in November, certain Hue switches will be able to control Sonos speakers. Users will be able to start Favorites, pause and play audio, change the volume, and skip to the previous or next track in the playlist. The Back-up & Restore feature, meanwhile, will allow Hue bridge settings to be backed up to the Hue cloud early next year.
Why it matters
The development shows a shift in smart lighting from ready-made scenes and simple schedules toward more flexible automations that can use different sensor, button and time data together. However, the fact that AI-powered functions will only be available on the new Bridge Pro model leaves existing Hue users facing a hardware limitation when it comes to accessing these features. The automation engine running on the device while the AI assistant runs in the cloud shows that local and online components are separated in how the system operates. Opening the engine to third-party developers is important because it means automations in the Hue ecosystem will not be limited to the company’s own interface. Sonos control and cloud backup, meanwhile, expand the lighting system’s range of uses in terms of the audio experience and preserving settings.