At CES 2026, GE Profile unveils a smart refrigerator with Kitchen Assistant, the new GE Profile™ Smart 4-Door French-Door Refrigerator designed to transform how people manage groceries, plan meals and reduce food waste with intuitive, AI-powered features built directly into the appliance.
The standout innovation is the patented Scan-to-List barcode scanner positioned in the exterior dispenser that recognises more than four million products. Users can scan groceries as they run low, automatically adding the item complete with brand, flavour and size to a shareable digital grocery list in the SmartHQ™ app. This list can be referenced while shopping or synced directly to grocery services like Instacart for delivery in as fast as 30 minutes.
Redefining the Role of the Refrigerator in the Modern Home
For decades, refrigerators have been largely passive appliances. GE Profile’s new Smart 4-Door French-Door Refrigerator challenges that norm by positioning the fridge as an active participant in household organization and meal preparation.
At the center of this transformation is Kitchen Assistant, an AI-powered experience embedded directly into the refrigerator. Kitchen Assistant helps users keep track of groceries, suggests meal ideas, supports shopping decisions, and provides real-time visibility into what’s inside the fridge—whether users are at home or in the grocery store.
According to GE Profile, the goal is simple: remove friction from daily kitchen tasks and make food management feel effortless, even for busy households juggling work, family, and social commitments.
Scan-to-List Technology: A Breakthrough in Grocery Management
One of the most notable features of the new refrigerator is GE Profile’s patented Scan-to-List barcode scanner, strategically located in the exterior dispenser. This scanner allows users to scan packaged food items as they run low, instantly adding them to a digital grocery list.
Unlike traditional manual list-making, Scan-to-List recognizes over four million products, capturing not just the item name but also details such as brand, flavor, and size. This level of accuracy helps eliminate guesswork when shopping and ensures that the correct product is repurchased every time.
Once scanned, items are automatically added to a shareable grocery list within the SmartHQ™ app. The list can be accessed by all household members, helping families coordinate shopping responsibilities without duplicate purchases or forgotten essentials.
Seamless Integration With Grocery Delivery Services
GE Profile extends the convenience of Scan-to-List by integrating the grocery list directly with third-party shopping platforms. Through the SmartHQ™ app, users can sync their list with services like Instacart, enabling grocery delivery in as little as 30 minutes in supported areas.
This integration transforms the refrigerator into a bridge between the kitchen and the grocery store. Rather than remembering items later or manually transferring lists, users can scan items throughout the week and place an order when ready—all from their smartphone.
For households increasingly relying on grocery delivery and curbside pickup, this feature significantly reduces the time and mental effort involved in restocking essentials.
AI-Assisted Meal Planning Built Into Daily Routines
Beyond shopping, GE Profile’s smart refrigerator is designed to support meal planning—often one of the most time-consuming aspects of household management.
Using Kitchen Assistant via the refrigerator’s touchscreen or the SmartHQ™ app, users can explore recipes from well-known content partners such as Taste of Home. Recipes can be filtered by dietary preferences, meal type, or available ingredients, helping users decide what to cook based on what they already have.
For ingredients without barcodes—such as fresh produce, bakery items, or bulk foods—users can add entries using voice commands or text input. Kitchen Assistant then incorporates these items into both inventory tracking and grocery lists, ensuring that nothing is overlooked.
When users select a recipe, any missing ingredients can be automatically added to the grocery list, closing the gap between inspiration and execution.
FridgeFocus Camera: Real-Time Visibility Inside the Refrigerator
Another key innovation introduced with the new model is FridgeFocus, a built-in interior camera system that provides a real-time view of the refrigerator’s contents.
Accessible through the SmartHQ™ app, FridgeFocus allows users to check what’s inside their fridge while they’re away from home—whether they’re at the grocery store, commuting, or planning meals on the go. The camera focuses particularly on produce stored in the crisper drawers, helping users track fresh items that are most likely to spoil.
This visibility helps reduce food waste by reminding users what they already have, preventing unnecessary overbuying and encouraging better use of perishable items before they expire.
Interactive Touchscreen Brings the Kitchen to Life
The refrigerator features an 8-inch interactive touchscreen that serves as the command center for Kitchen Assistant. The display is designed to be intuitive and family-friendly, offering quick access to essential tools without overwhelming users.
Through the touchscreen, users can:
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View and edit grocery lists
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Browse recipes and meal ideas
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Check the weather or daily schedule
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Use unit conversion tools for cooking
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Control smart home features connected to SmartHQ™
The display also supports hands-free voice control, allowing users to add items to their grocery list, ask questions, or manage tasks while cooking or multitasking in the kitchen.
Hands-Free Water Dispensing for Everyday Convenience
In addition to its digital capabilities, GE Profile has enhanced physical convenience with sensor-activated water dispensing. The refrigerator’s dispenser can detect when a container is placed underneath and automatically dispense water without requiring physical contact.
Users can also select precise fill amounts, reducing spills and ensuring consistent measurements for cooking, coffee preparation, or hydration tracking.
This feature reflects GE Profile’s focus on blending smart technology with practical, everyday improvements that enhance usability.
Designed for Connected, Multi-User Households
The GE Profile Smart 4-Door French-Door Refrigerator is built with modern households in mind—homes where multiple people contribute to shopping, cooking, and meal planning.
Digital grocery lists can be shared across family members, ensuring everyone stays aligned. Parents can track food availability, roommates can coordinate shopping, and busy professionals can plan meals more efficiently, all within a single ecosystem.
Kitchen Assistant adapts to different usage patterns over time, learning how households manage food and offering smarter suggestions as routines evolve.
A Vision for the Future of Smart Kitchens
Jason May, executive product director for French-door refrigeration at GE Appliances, describes the Kitchen Assistant experience as “natural and effortless,” emphasizing that the technology is meant to work quietly in the background rather than demanding constant attention.
GE Profile’s approach reflects a broader industry trend: smart appliances that integrate seamlessly into daily life, offering value through subtle intelligence rather than flashy features.
By embedding AI directly into the refrigerator—one of the most frequently used appliances in the home—GE Profile aims to make smart living more accessible and practical for a wide range of consumers.
Availability, Models, and Pricing
The GE Profile Smart 4-Door French-Door Refrigerator with Kitchen Assistant will be available in standard-depth and counter-depth configurations, allowing homeowners to choose a model that fits their kitchen layout and design preferences.
The refrigerator is scheduled to launch in April 2026 and will be sold through GE Appliances’ website and select national retailers. The suggested manufacturer’s retail price (MSRP) is $4,899, positioning the appliance in the premium smart-kitchen category.
Setting a New Standard for Intelligent Appliances
With its debut at CES 2026, GE Profile’s new smart refrigerator demonstrates how everyday appliances can evolve into intelligent tools that simplify life. By combining Scan-to-List technology, AI-powered meal planning, real-time inventory visibility, and seamless app integration, the refrigerator addresses real household challenges in meaningful ways.
As consumers increasingly expect their appliances to do more than perform basic functions, innovations like Kitchen Assistant point toward a future where kitchens are not just connected—but truly intelligent.
GE Profile’s latest launch reinforces the idea that the next generation of smart homes will be defined not by novelty, but by technology that saves time, reduces waste, and makes daily routines easier and more enjoyable.
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