Smart Home Devices Will Need AI in the Next-Gen Connected Home, Says SA

The day is coming when smart won’t be enough in the connected home, said a Monday Strategy Analytics report, saying future devices will have to operate independently of the user, using artificial intelligence. Current-generation devices offer limited value vs. non-connected counterparts, said SA, with apps limited to command and control. The “real value of connectivity lies in intercommunication, automation and the ability to visualize and interpret the data in meaningful ways,” said the researcher. Networked devices could leverage AI from edge computers to provide unique use cases that adapt to a user’s schedule without their intervention, it said. “For connected objects, the impetus should be on creating a quick, seamless and valuable experience,” said analyst Mathew Alton. If an interface is necessary, it should be simple and focused, Alton said, with voice and touch obvious solutions because they can provide a natural human-machine interface that’s “nearly invisible.” Using AI, the dynamic exchange of information between connected objects in the home and beyond would allow the devices to adapt to the user instead of the user having to adapt to them, said analyst Chris Schreiner.