AIoT: The next evolutionary stage of IoT

To understand AIoT, one needs to familiarize themselves with its parent terms, AI and IoT.

 In layman's terms, AI, that is Artificial Intelligence, is a capability of software applications to make decisions independently without constant human interaction. Functioning with an AI makes a device not just faster, but also smarter. While regular people just understand the umbrella term AI, there are actually two types of it: General AI that makes all decisions by itself, and Narrow AI, which performs a certain number of tasks independently.

 On the other hand, IoT, the Internet Of Things can best be described as the digital nervous system that connects various devices for the accelerated transfer of data and information.

 What is AIoT and what does it do?

 With this basic knowledge about AI and IoT, defining AIoT gets easier. Essentially, AIoT enables data exchange between numerous devices and improves the machine’s learning capabilities due to a consistent network of data exchange. And as these devices keep learning at a tremendous pace, they are now becoming capable of running programs and analysis by themselves, essentially eliminating their need for Cloud computing.

For example, let's take a look at a Smart Car. With features like sensors, cameras, GPS, etc., the car comes with a narrow AI that will be able to see its location and sense other objects in its surroundings and warn the driver about them accordingly. Due to AIoT, the car can compute all the gathered data on its own, without having to waste internet bandwidth to send the data to a cloud server to receive execution orders. This makes the device perform better and faster, making it increasingly user-friendly as well.

 Working in tandem, IoT enables information to be processed between machines and servers while AI enables the devices to take actions based on the provided data. Thus, AIoT doesn’t just bring in the promise of smart devices, it ushers in a connected network of devices that are able to collect data, store it, share it, and even ACT on it.

 What does AIoT do differently?

 One question that often comes up while discussing AIoT is how is it any different than what IoT was originally doing. From an outsider’s perspective, IoT and AIoT are responsible for data collection and actions. However, there’s one key difference between them that should be remembered: IoT can only react to an event whereas AIoT can proactively prepare to act on an event.

 This proactive behavior means that the devices are now able to self-analyze and correct their processes. So, AIoT will ensure that informed choices are being made based on real-time data and predictive learning patterns, vastly different from the passive nature of IoT.

 What’s in store for AIoT’s future?

 While despite our best efforts, the future is still unpredictable, good things are in store for AIoT. With better sensory technology and faster AI processing speeds emerging every day, AIoT is steadily cementing its place in our present and actively molding our future. It is overwhelmingly clear that AIoT shall have an irrepressible role in every major field and industry, should we as a society devote time and effort to developing it.