Robert Shrimsley Published October 23 2026 Jump to comments section Print this page Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. I’m not sure it is entirely down to the recent cyber attack that ruined the food in the smart fridges of around 700 French supermarkets by raising their temperature until the contents started to cook. But suddenly there seems a lot to be said for dumb devices.
In general, I am all for embracing new technology. But even before the hack I felt a certain cynicism about so-called smart devices, especially when it comes to household appliances. You may have noticed the annual fuss over the Consumer Electronics Show, which is often very well reported because it gives journalists the chance of a trip to Las Vegas. This year’s star attractions included AI robots and folding smartphones. But amid this are always dozens of “smart” gadgets which belong to the nebulous category that techies call the internet of things (Io T).
Admittedly, I’ve never seen the need for a smart fridge or cooker, not least because I don’t want them talking about me behind my back. “Did you see what the fat bastard made today?” But a smart fridge can apparently add items to my digital shopping list or allow me to see what is inside it while I’m standing at the Tesco Express near the Tube. An engineer can connect to the software and identify a malfunction. I can see these are not entirely worthless functions.
And yet the story of the hacked French supermarket fridges has left me feeling just a little smug about my dull old analogue fridge-freezer. You want connected devices, my friend? Well, let me introduce your dishwasher to Vladimir. In fact, you’ve already met. Fresh from interfering in the Brexit referendum, he’s now making your washing machine run so hot that all your clothes shrink. It’s a classic psy-op to make you think you are gaining weight. From cold war to hot wash with just a few lines of code.
Source: Financial Times Companies · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing