Internet of Things has been one of the biggest disruptions and buzzwords in the industry. As internetworking of physical devices, including buildings, vehicles and more, IoT enable these devices to send and receive important data in real time. The popularity of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been head-on with that of IoT. While IoT painstakingly collects huge volumes of data, AI has the unrivaled potential for computing the same, turning data into actionable insights. What happens one two of the most definitive and key defining technologies of our times come in close unison? Is it much hype without anything or does the combination of these two power-packed technologies transform our world for good?

Internet of Things (IoT): Unpacking the Incredible Data Reservoirs

In the present day digital world, data clearly is power. Or perhaps, we will revisit this statement once we have talked about I in detail, later in the article.

The possibilities that IoT endeavors to bring forth, truly cannot by limited. With the increase in the number of connected devices and sensors, we today have at our disposal outrageous amount of data. However, with the relevant data, we can have a proactive look into the future. The thought leaders of today have already covered massive strides in launching autonomous driver less cars. Further more, cities would be able to predict accident well ahead of time. Doctors will be able to closely observe their patients, remotely.

.With the growth and expansion in the field of data, sensors and Internet of Things at large, following are merely the type of data which is going to be readily made available:

.Data relevant for cities and regulatory bodies to predict accidents or in fact, crimes.

.Data valuable for doctors, including blood sugar levels, blood pressures, in addition to data from biochips and pacemakers.

.Data collected from machinery and equipment, allowing industries to save maintenance costs while easily optimizing productivity.

.Data leading to the advent of smart cities.
Data transforming ordinary houses into smart homes, well-equipped with connected appliances.

.Data making it possible for self-driven cars to communicate amongst them selves.

While it sounds all fancy and nice, data alone is not going to be sole savior of the present world. After all, of what value is the data, if the same cannot be computed, transformed into actionable insights? There is a limit to humans computing the data in a given span of time. And we are potentially looking at terabytes of machine data becoming a norm of every other hour. While humans cannot possibly compute such humongous amount of data, it is about time we shifted our focus to machine learning and artificial intelligence.

While humans cannot possibly compute such humongous amount of data, it is about time we shifted our focus to machine learning and artificial intelligence

The AI Connect

The infiltration of data makes it paramount for us to come up with systems and processes that are able to process the same, that too in real-time. Machine learning, powered by Neural network and hardware improvement has emerged as one of most definitive technologies, making it possible for the industry players to compute huge volumes of data provided by IoT devices. Machine learning is equipped to process data, learn from it and provide actionable insights, instead of only running the instructions it has been previously explicitly programmed to run.

While this may sound like a scene taking right out from a highly sci-fi movie of Hollywood, certain organizations have already started deploying this technology. For instance, companies like Netflix, Amazon has upgraded its recommendations based on machine learning. Pandora, further more, is able to figure out and suggest other songs that the listeners to its site may enjoy.

Enterprises have a lot to Gain

The combination of IoT and Machine Learning/AI is here to assist enterprises to save money and optimize processes. Together, these technologies can compute billions of data points available and return the most meaningful bit of information, important for taking actions. Any similarities, patterns or anomalies can then be determined in real-time, allowing enterprises and organizations to be prepared for the same.

Take for instance the healthcare industry. Wearable devices already collect a host of data based on the everyday activities of fitness enthusiasts or health patients, for that matter. The data from these devices can further be used to send real- time health updates to medical practitioners. If the condition of the patients were to alter beyond regular intervals, for instance, a sudden spike in the heart rate etc, the medical practitioners would be informed in real-time and hence would be in a better place to offer a diagnosis or cure in fact, before the condition could deteriorate any further.

Making further progress in the field of healthcare is IBM. The tech giant is utilizing the key features of technology to curb the Zika epidemic. In collaboration with Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, IMB is investing resources and technical expertise into closely monitoring the spread of Zika disease, mostly in Brazil, making the current processes proactive instead of reactive.

This way, we can perhaps conclude the enterprises going to deploy a rare combination of IoT and Artificial Intelligence. The futuristic and ambitious brands would be able to foresee and perceive the future better, whilst coming up with innovation meant to help us all rise above the upcoming challenges and threats.