A lot of fun has rightfully been poked at tech companies rushing to either add AI features to their products without adding any actual value to the owner experience, or to relabel existing features as AI. Robocleaners have been cited as one of many examples. But the new Roborock Saros 20 demonstrates that, applied thoughtfully, AI can make a genuinely meaningful difference to the its owners. The new machine sits at the top of the company’s lineup at CES 2026, and pet owners especially will want to check it out. True intelligence The most basic use of AI in a robot cleaner is to identify objects in order to avoid things like getting tangled up in cables, and to assess the results of its cleaning to judge when additional passes were needed on more stubborn dirt. But Roborock had a much more ambitious goal with the AI system included in the Saros 20.…