From farms to factories, hospitals to highways, the fusion of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (AIoT) is driving the next wave of tech innovation, which promises to transform every aspect of our lives and provide the future’s underlying framework.
While we grew up watching sci-fi movies and cartoons with autonomous flying drones and vehicles transporting people around in the skies of future smart cities, we are fast approaching an age of wondrous potential. We’re building out the smart, interconnected infrastructure below the surface “of the iceberg” to attain the vast promise of the AIoT First megashift before us.
In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, paradigm shifts often mark significant milestones in our journey toward innovation and progress. Just as “Mobile First” and “Cloud First” strategies have reshaped the digital realm in recent years, we now stand at the precipice of a new era of “AIoT First” applications to interact with the growing network of things. This powerful melding of artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) promises to reshape our daily lives and unlock unprecedented opportunities for growth and efficiency.
AIoT is a fusion of a “community of things” with their own AI linked to other AI-enabled things to autonomously perform tasks more intelligently and in real time, per KPMG in its foresight study on the future of AI through 2040.
Many industries could be transformed using the resulting “swarm intelligence.” Similar to natural examples like flocks of birds or schools of fish that instinctually act or react as groups with no direction from one leader, this natural phenomenon is a form of collective learning and decision-making based on decentralized, self-organized systems,” per HPE.
The Genesis of AIoT First and Why It’s So Revolutionary
AIoT First finds its roots within the visionary statements of respected tech-industry leaders who have all championed the importance of AI, mobile, and cloud computing when developing new applications.
Building upon these technology movements, the AIoT First Era represents the next logical step in our technological evolution, where AI and IoT become inextricably intertwined and new applications will and should prioritize the use of both technologies to speed insights from AI being fed by massive amounts of real-time data being collected via IoT devices.
To understand the significance of this paradigm shift, let’s rewind to 2017, when Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, emphasized the pivotal role of AI and machine learning in shaping our technological future. This milestone marked the onset of a significant AI First wave, wherein tech giants began integrating AI into their products and services.
Since then, AI disruption has accelerated at an unprecedented pace, with the recent inflection point of generative AI propelling it to superhuman speeds and driving mass adoption around the globe. The rapid advancements in natural language processing, computer vision, and machine learning have opened up a world of new possibilities by enabling machines to understand, interpret, and generate super-human-like content with remarkable speed and accuracy.
Similar to two previous technological cycles, the rise of mobile-first, championed by Eric Schmidt in 2010, and cloud-first, advocated by Satya Nadella in 2014, the next AIoT First Era will underscore the importance of prioritizing mobile and cloud technologies as a strategy for developing new digital experiences and transforming many industries.
At the heart of AIoT First lies the vast network of interconnected devices, sensors, and systems that make up the growing IoT ecosystem. They generate a continuous stream of real data in real time and capture the pulse of our world in unprecedented detail.
AIoT First promises an impact that far surpasses the current buzz surrounding large language models and chatbots. The current hype cycle focused on chatbots powered by LLMs is only the tip of the iceberg for the great capabilities, scope, and impact AI will have in the long term.
While LLMs and conversational AI have captivated the public’s attention, it is the fusion of AI with the ever-expanding network of IoT devices that will unlock the most transformative potential across industries. The convergence of AI, IoT, and other advanced technologies will catalyze a tech supercycle with unprecedented impact on how we live, learn, and work in the near future.
How the AIoT First Era Will Transform How We Live, Learn, and Work
The ubiquity of smartphones and the scalability of cloud computing paved the way for a more connected, accessible, and data-driven world. We now stand on the brink of another revolutionary leap, where the convergence of AI and IoT will unleash a new wave of intelligent, adaptive, and autonomous systems that will redefine the way we live, educate ourselves, work, and interact with the world around us.
As the planet becomes increasingly interconnected and data-rich, the ability to leverage AI to analyze and act upon the deluge of information generated by IoT devices will separate the winners from the losers in the rapidly evolving digital age.
This vision is not merely speculative; it’s already unfolding before our eyes, fueled by advancements in AI, connectivity, and data analytics. From smart cities that optimize energy consumption and traffic flow to intelligent factories that self-optimize production lines, the many emerging applications of AIoT are boundless.
As we embrace the transformative potential of an AIoT First Era, it is crucial to address the challenges that come with this convergence.
The integration of AI and IoT raises security, privacy, and regulation concerns. With real-time data flowing from a multitude of simple devices, such as sensors and cameras, the risk of breaches and compromises increases exponentially. These devices, often designed with simplicity in mind, can be vulnerable entry points for malicious actors. As we combine these elements into more complex systems, we may inadvertently create a larger attack surface and open doors for potential problems.
The AIoT First Era Brings Great Responsibility and Challenges
To mitigate these risks, we must invest heavily in ensuring the security and integrity of AIoT systems. This safeguarding is particularly critical in sensitive sectors such as those used in healthcare, where the protection of personal and health-related data is of utmost importance.
As we embrace a new AIoT First paradigm, it is crucial to ensure that its benefits are accessible to all, fostering a more equitable and sustainable future. Education and training initiatives should be implemented to empower individuals with the skills needed to thrive in an AIoT-driven world. By fostering digital literacy and promoting equal access to technology, we can harness the power of AIoT to drive social progress and improve the lives of people everywhere.
AIoT First will herald a new era of intelligent integration, where AI and IoT converge to reshape industries, societies, and the very fabric of our existence. Many developers and product teams are already focused on determining how to make sure to extract the maximum advantages out of these new technologies in order to create new business outcomes and applications that will be most productive, sustainable and fruitful. It’s not merely a prediction, it’s a call to action.
As we stand at the cusp of this transformative journey, we must approach it with a sense of responsibility, foresight, and determination to engineer a better world. The key lies in collaborative efforts between technologists, policymakers, and stakeholders across industries to develop frameworks that prioritize transparency, accountability, and inclusivity. Only then can we truly unlock the full potential of AIoT that benefits all of humanity.
Fabio Iunis de Paula is a longtime tech-industry leader and investor including senior roles at IBM, LUCENT Technologies (Bell Labs), and investment director at Intel Capital for 14 years. He is currently the General Partner and co-founder of Indicator Capital, a VC firm that is co-located in São Paulo, Brazil, and Silicon Valley. Based in California, he excels at transforming early-stage investments into successful companies.
