Alex Capecelatro, Josh.ai: “AI should make the smart home seamless, secure, and truly personal”

For many homeowners, smart home technology has long promised convenience, security, and comfort – but also brought complexity and concerns about privacy. Josh.ai set out to change this equation, evolving from a two-person start-up into an industry leader in AI-powered home automation. From intuitive controls that go beyond voice commands to proactive, context-aware recommendations, Josh.ai is reshaping what it means to live in a truly intelligent home.

In this interview, CEO Alex Capecelatro shares the company’s journey, major milestones, and vision for the future. He discusses how Josh.ai addresses the unique needs of luxury homes, why trust and usability matter as much as cutting-edge features, and what a new wave of AI-driven experiences will mean for everyone who wants their home to work smarter, not harder.

What has Josh.ai’s journey been like so far? Any milestones you’re proud of?

Over the past decade, Josh.ai has grown from a two-person start-up to an industry leader in AI-powered smart home control. Moments that stand out along the way include launching Josh Micro (the company’s first hardware product) in 2017, introducing the industry’s first architectural microphone in 2020 with Josh Nano, and supercharging the platform in 2023 with JoshGPT; a first of its kind generative AI trained on information spanning trillions of words and data points across nearly every topic imaginable. In the last year, Josh.ai has achieved two major milestones by winning the best new software product for their AI OS operating system and unveiling Josh Edge, the company’s first hard button remote control.

Can you explain what Josh.ai does in simple terms?

Josh.ai is the control center of your home, making it easy to check and control everything from lights and shades to music, cameras, security systems, and more. That said, Josh.ai is also an AI that can often feel like your home's "best friend," and that idea is symbolized in the company logo, a friendly dog head. With Josh, intuitive design seamlessly blends with technology to provide a simplified and secure platform. Homeowners can easily control their environment with the Josh App, Josh Touchscreen, a Josh Remote, or by using their voice naturally. Unlike other smart home platforms, Josh.ai is built on an AI foundation that is always getting better, makes proactive suggestions, and aims to help people live better lives in their homes.

Why do some homeowners still hesitate to adopt voice control?

Interestingly, many of our clients don’t use voice control. Voice control is great for those who want it, but Josh.ai offers multiple convenient ways to control your home beyond just voice. That said, voice control might not get adopted due to trust, understanding, and reliability. Some people are worried about what is being listened to in their homes, specifically if the technology is connected to a big tech company. With Josh.ai, many clients state trusting the brand over the mass market alternatives. In addition to the privacy perspective, some people just don’t know what to say or what will work, as traditional voice control requires fairly robotic speaking styles to make it work. With Josh.ai, the natural language approach makes it far more flexible and easy to speak without needing to memorize specific commands. Beyond that, some people are just very comfortable using wall-mounted touchscreens, the app on their phone, and/or physical interfaces like keypads and remotes, all of which work great with Josh.ai.

Have recent global trends changed how people use smart-home tech?

With COVID and the growing number of people working from home, we find more people are investing in their home’s technology to get the most out of the space they spend the most time in. In the past, a space might be a dedicated bedroom, or living room, or kitchen, but today spaces are multifunctional, where a bedroom at night might become an office during the day, which creates amazing opportunities to introduce products like Josh.ai to make the space more useful. In addition, more people are aware of the benefits of automated lighting, shading, and climate control for energy management and comfort, all of which are improved with Josh.ai in the mix. There is also a trend to stay at home longer as people get older, introducing a new category called “Wellness”, which takes advantage of at-home sensors and automation to make living tasks more accessible. Finally, security is in the midst of an interesting shift with more homeowners opting for self-monitoring as opposed to traditional alarm systems. In addition to everything Josh.ai does with smart home control, clients get great security features such as camera access from anywhere in the world, alerts when the door unlocks or garage opens, AI analysis of who’s at the door when the doorbell rings, and on and on. These benefits coincide with global trends driving more people to adopt and embrace Josh.ai as a way to feel safe and secure, comfortable, and in control of ever-growing complex smart home technologies.

What should users do or avoid when securing a smart-home system?

Do: Work with a certified home technology professional, insist on enterprise-grade networking equipment, and follow best security practices. For example, changing default passwords, keeping firmware up to date, limiting administrators, enabling two-factor authentication wherever possible, and auditing third-party cloud privileges annually.

Avoid: Only give smart home access to trusted professionals, family members, and friends. Avoid exposing control processors directly to the internet, mixing consumer-grade gadgets with mission-critical subsystems, or skipping a backup power plan. Also, never overlook physical security because an unlocked technology closet can be a bigger threat than a hacker.

What unique needs do luxury homes and integrators bring to your work?

Luxury projects demand technology that is not only best-in-class in terms of performance but also accentuates the environment in which it is installed. We have clients with unique home architecture, discerning interior design preferences, and large estates with complex network topologies that present an interesting combination of aesthetic and technological challenges. Josh.ai is purposefully designed with these needs in mind so that our integrators have the tools in their arsenal to commission and program smart home experiences as unique as the properties themselves.

What types of smart-home features will we see more of in the coming years?

AI is going to play an increasing role in automation, recommending actions proactively and personalizing experiences for every household member. Technologies leveraging geofencing, user detection, and biometrics are going to tailor each user’s environment to their preferences. Imagine a home that not only understands but also anticipates intent, suggesting lighting scenes during a movie, adjusting HVAC when the weather turns, or surfacing the news a user cares about at the right moment. In addition, every screen is an opportunity to display personal artwork that adjusts with your mood, time of day, time of year, and other factors. The future is going to be exciting for the home!

Beyond voice control, what tech should every smart home include?

Again, voice is just a small part of Josh.ai, and not necessarily something we recommend for every project. While it is not the first thing people think of, a home’s network is critical when integrating various devices and systems with the expectation that everything needs to work together reliably. For homeowners getting started, smart lighting and motorized shades are among the most useful applications to consider. We see a lot of personalization when a music system like Sonos is paired with Josh.ai, and the security products we mentioned earlier, including cameras, door stations, and smart locks, can be big life enhancements. As people add more devices, it gets harder learning multiple apps, and that is where a unifying solution like Josh.ai is even more useful.

What’s next for Josh.ai? Any exciting developments ahead?

Our big industry trade show, CEDIA Expo, is in early September, and we are introducing a new lineup of major software features, hardware products, and applications that run state-of-the-art AI models for a smart home experience that our industry has not even dreamed up yet. That means more intuitive interfaces, easier configuration and customization, and some exciting capabilities that the channel has been asking for. We cannot wait to unveil what we have been working on!