I tried to find the article again but all I can find is stores selling smart fridges etc. Search engines are broken.

I was able to find some links using duckduckgo including the same article from "Tomshardware" so at least that still works.

Again I don't know why a washing machine would need an internet connection it's not like you can remotely load it.

I mean I do understand the appeal and usefulness of smart homes and some IoT devices but companies are pushing AI and internet connectivity like it's some kind of magic that makes any product better. I mean it would be nice to have a centralised panel to view your usage patterns and consumption but even then you don't need all this overpowered tech stuff.