Title text:
It’s important for devices to have internet connectivity so the manufacturer can patch remote exploits.
Transcript:
[A store salesman, Hairy, is showing Cueball a dehumidifier, with a “SALE” label on it. Several other unidentified devices, possibly other dehumidifier models, are shown in the store as well.]
Salesman: This dehumidifier model features built-in WiFi for remote updates.
Cueball: Great! That will be really useful if they discover a new kind of water.
Source: https://xkcd.com/3109/
It sounds to me like your problem is human error, not the lack of a smarter machine. You can’t engineer your way around people being morons. The greatest engineering minds have figured that out years ago.
So you think the reason a hygrometer can’t detect humidity ten minutes before it exists in order to start cooling the dehumidifier’s compressor to the temperature it needs to be to start working is human error?