Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is arguably the hot new technology of the last ten years, even though its roots go back at least fifty years. That’s because AI relies on data to arrive at its conclusions, and it also requires vast amounts of processing power. It’s only recently that technology has caught up with the theory.

Nowadays, AI powers huge swathes of our society. It’s in search engine algorithms and recommendations engines for sites like Netflix and Amazon. It’s also used to carry out complex modeling and predictions, allowing us to simulate scenarios with a higher degree of accuracy than ever before.

AI is also increasingly being used to power smart homes. First of all, this technology is required to carry out natural language processing for virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa. AI processes the input and tries to understand the intent behind your searches, whether you’re asking for directions or you’re controlling your thermostat.

Today, we’re going to be digging a little bit deeper into how artificial intelligence and smart homes work together and investigating how these new technologies might impact you in the months and years to come.

IoT

IoT literally bridges the gap between our real world and the virtual world. So, if your car is connected to the internet, it’s an IoT device. The

same goes true of your Google Homes or any smart devices like Nest thermostats or even internet-connected fridges.

One of the major advantages of AI is the fact that it can process large amounts of data at a rapid pace. And IoT devices often serve as provides of this data. Going back to the example of a car, it might monitor everything from route data to telematics data (tracking what kind of driver you are) and settings preferences for different drivers. It might also bring in third-party route data to identify whether there are likely to be problems with congestion.

When AI and the Internet of Things combine, the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. IoT devices gather the data, AI processes it, and we as human beings benefit.

Wearable devices such as fitness trackers in the household might also regulate energy efficiencies and lower bills through the smarter management of your thermostat.

Home Automation Processes

The next point is the ability of AI and smart devices to help you to automate different processes in your household. It can be as simple or as complex as you like, and will usually revolve around a smart home hub that integrates with other devices and allows you to control them from a common interface.

Whether you call it a smart home or a smart house, the general idea is the same – to control every aspect of your property, from lighting and temperature to security systems, entertainment devices, and household appliances. Users typically access these devices through smartphone or tablet applications, although they can often be controlled from off-site through a password protected gateway.

With a smart house, you can even automate processes, such as by automatically re-ordering household essentials as you run out of them or by setting the heating so that it comes on as you leave your office. Your smart house can even get to know what temperature different family members prefer and can then adjust the thermostat to make it the ideal middle ground.

Voice Assistant

Voice assistants are an essential part of your smart home because they provide an interface between homeowners and their smart house. Tools like Amazon’s Alexa can be integrated with a range of different hardware to allow you to control your house through voice commands.

With an IoT-connected voice assistant device, you can walk into your house and turn the lights on with your voice alone. You can also place orders via associated services like Amazon or Google Shopping, as well as being able to set reminders, to search for information, and to carry out other types of activity while keeping your hands free.

As with other IoT devices, voice assistants typically tap into the power of advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to function. It’s AI that makes voice assistants possible in the first place, at least in our modern sense. Without AI, we’d have to manually program voice assistants and reconfigure them by hand every time they were picked up by a different user.

Conclusion

Voice assistants, the Internet of Things and home automation processes play an increasingly important role in our lives, and we shouldn’t be surprised if we find that the trend continues in the years to come.

They have a lot to offer us, from increased comfort and convenience

to savings through added efficiency and even through additional security in the form of video feeds and other goodies. Sure, these devices cost money upfront when you first purchase them, but over time they can eventually pay for themselves. The question is, when will you be living in a smart house?

Author’s bio:

From 2017 as a CTO at Zfort Group, Andrew concentrates on growing the company into the areas of modern technologies like Artificial Intelligence, BigData, and IoT. Being a CTO Andrew doesn’t give up programming himself because it is critical for some of the projects Andrew curates as a CTO.