Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being adopted within the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem, according to new research from electronic components distributor Farnell.
In a global survey of IoT engineers and component buyers, almost half (49%) said that they now use AI in their IoT applications, with machine learning the most used technology (28%) followed by cloud-based AI (19%).
This adoption of AI within IoT design is coupled with a growing confidence to take the lead on IoT development, Farnell found. However, some engineers are hesitant to adopt AI due to being new to the technology or because they require specialised expertise in how to implement AI in IoT applications.
Other results from the second annual survey show that security remains the biggest concern designers consider in IoT implementation. Although 40% cited security as their biggest concern in 2018 and this dropped to 35% in 2019, it is still ranked significantly higher than connectivity and interoperability due to the type of data collected from “things” (machines) and humans, which can be very sensitive and personal.
Ownership of collected data is another important aspect of security, with 70% of respondents preferring to own the data collected by an edge device as opposed to it being owned by the IoT solution provider.
Almost half (46%) of engineers still prefer to design a complete edge-to-cloud and security solution themselves, but the survey revealed a growing openness to integrate third-party solutions – particularly if in-house expertise is limited or time to market is critical.
Overall, the number of respondents adopting off-the-shelf IoT hardware has increased to 54% from 50% in 2018.
“Opportunities within the Internet of Things and AI continue to grow, fuelled by access to an increasing number of hardware and software solutions which enable developers to bring products to market more quickly than ever before, and without the need for specialized expertise,” commented Cliff Ortmeyer, global head of technical marketing for Farnell.
Our Next-generation connectivity report looks at how businesses in key sectors will be impacted by advanced technologies enabled by the next wave of internet connectivity. Download your free copy now!
Tags: Internet of Things, IoT, AI, Artificial Intelligence
