The opportunity
Gather vast amounts of real-world data, enable remote control and automation of devices and systems, and create new services and efficiencies across homes, cities, and industries.
From “BBC Interviews me on #IoT : “The Brain Inside Our Homes” : It’s Early Days Yet in This Most Complex of Machines!” (October 2017)
The most humble of objects can join the connected world, thanks to what is known as the Internet of Things – the interconnection via the internet of computing devices embedded in everyday objects, enabling them to send and receive data. Smart bathroom scales can log weight and body mass index, then feed the data back to a Fitbit wearable for action; networked dog collars can track a pet wherever it roams, help with training and even detect pain; Amazon’s checkout-free Go stores will allow shoppers to fill their bags and leave the store without queuing or even touching their wallet.
The Boston Consulting Group estimates the world will spend $295 billion on Internet of Things (IoT) systems and devices by 2020.
“ I talk to healthcare groups about virtualisation, remote blood pressure cuffs, diabetes monitoring and more ,” Carroll says. “ We can rethink the concept of care and re-engineer senior care. We can architect a world where seniors are in their own homes and connected by these devices .”
From “Decoding Tomorrow: 30 Megatrends - #2 : Ambient Intelligence - ""AI is the invisible architect dissolving computing into the very fabric of our lives.”” (June 2025)
We’re living in a world where computing is indeed disappearing into the environment around us, embedded in countless devices without screens or keyboards, creating seamless interactions. How big a trend is it? The global IoT market is now valued at over $1 trillion, with more than 18 billion connected devices actively in use, from smart home appliances to industrial sensors. The IP chip’s promise of low cost and ubiquity has also largely materialized, making these “net devices” an expected, integrated feature of modern life.
Even so, it’s going to happen, My original predictions suggested that these devices would possess a degree of “intelligence ,” but I didn’t anticipate the massive acceleration of all trends related to AI. Thinking about it now, it seems that AI will provide the ” brain ” for this vast network of connected devices, transforming mere connectivity into true ” smartness .” This integration, now referred to as AIoT, enables devices to learn from data, make autonomous decisions, and automate tasks at a scale and speed far beyond what we can do. It allows for real-time data analysis, informed decision-making, and continuous performance improvement by learning from patterns.
Why? These billions of connected IoT devices generate massive amounts of data. This data is being processed by ever more advanced algorithms to create real-time insights, predictive capabilities, and automation. This symbiotic relationship means that as more IoT devices are deployed, they generate more data, which in turn improves AI models, making IoT devices smarter and more valuable, thereby driving further adoption. It’s an acceleration feedback loop.
From “AI Megatrends - AI In Energy : Connected, Intelligent Energy and Energy SaaS” (June 2023)
HEMS or home energy management systems - We will see the evolution of a “home energy ecosystem,” in which later versions of Nest and ecobee will not only let individuals adjust and manage the temperature of their homes but will manage and monitor the storage of electricity generated on their rooftop solar panels, as well as mediate and manage the sale of that energy back to the local power company or a local power grid. In addition, HEMS devices will help to automatically deliver cost and carbon savings from intelligent appliances and other in-home electrical devices, offering up power-saving recommendations.
Smart grids are typically characterized by a high penetration of distributed generation, consumption, and metering devices. These include wind, solar, hydro, tidal, and thermal generation units, electric vehicles, microgrids, residential smart meters, etc. Control and optimization of all these elements require exchanging an enormous volume of data and metering information that should be ingested, inferred, and reflected upon. In this context, big data analytics, in particular artificial intelligence methods are a key enabler of fully autonomous smart grids.
The platform can also directly control devices such as solar invertors and EV chargers to enable customers to earn money by providing demand-side response.
Read the full pieces on jimcarroll.com:
BBC Interviews me on #IoT : “The Brain Inside Our Homes” : It’s Early Days Yet in This Most Complex of Machines!
Decoding Tomorrow: 30 Megatrends - #2 : Ambient Intelligence - ""AI is the invisible architect dissolving computing into the very fabric of our lives.”
AI Megatrends - AI In Energy : Connected, Intelligent Energy and Energy SaaS