The IoT and artificial intelligence are two concepts that are much discussed today. They commonly go together, so it is customary to end up in doubt about where one begins and the other ends.
However, as these technologies are becoming more advanced and accessible every day, it is essential to know how to differentiate them and what their applications are, as it is very likely that in a short time, any of them will end up becoming part of your daily life. Or your place of work.
Therefore, in this article, we will briefly explain what the internet of things is, what artificial intelligence is, and how the two overlap.
Internet Of Things
The internet of things is a relatively recent concept born out of the possibilities created by improving internet-related technologies. With the increase in broadband internet speeds and the creation of increasingly powerful routers, it has become much easier to have many devices using the same network.
However, an ordinary home usually doesn’t take advantage of all that power. If each person has a computer and a cell phone, a household with four people will have a maximum of eight devices connected simultaneously, and not all of them will be in use at all times. But what if we could use this remaining capacity of the internet to make our lives easier?
That is the goal. Internet of Things is the name given to the network where various devices adapted strictly for this connection can be connected. This network is used so that these devices can share information between them, such as information about your habits, your routine, and your preferences, among others. And these devices can be anything you want, from the security and lighting system to your coffee maker.
The internet of things aims to make our lives easier by connecting things to the internet, thereby increasing our homes’ automation and lives. It also has several applications in the industry. Connecting and sharing information makes it much easier to monitor the status of machines in a factory continuously. It is possible, for example, to know the speed of manufacture of a product, the amount of raw material available, and even how much time is left before a machine needs maintenance.
This can all be combined with augmented reality, allowing an employee to know all the information on a machine simply by pointing his tablet camera at it instead of following a panel that collects and makes this data available.
Artificial Intelligence
On the other hand, Artificial intelligence is the name given to a set of algorithms that aim to automate tasks that require reasoning, such as creative tasks or tasks that involve constantly changing factors.
One of these types of algorithms is in computer vision. This area studies ways to make the computer be able to interpret videos and images by itself, usually with a goal in mind. A famous part of computer vision is the recognition of objects and people, where characteristics of different objects and people’s bodies and faces are predefined. The algorithm uses these settings to find people and objects in photos and videos.
Another area that has a lot of investment in machine learning. Machine learning consists of an algorithm that can use the data entered into it to learn from it and thus decide its actions. Algorithms like this typically receive data and information continuously to adjust their actions better and learn from their mistakes. It is essentially an algorithm that creates algorithms that are optimized for a given function.
A widespread application of artificial intelligence is game characters. Non-player characters need to have a way of acting on their own to make the game more “alive,” but game environments tend to change frequently. Therefore, the artificial intelligence of different levels of complexity is used to program their actions based on the state of the virtual world and the players’ actions.
Another, which is becoming increasingly common, is natural language interpretation. Computers usually are programmed to act based on pre-programmed commands and keywords. However, this means that users of a program would need to learn these commands to be able to use a device. To improve the user experience and make it more intuitive, companies that develop virtual assistants (such as Siri, Alexa, and the Google Assistant) use voice processors and natural language interpretation to understand what people say as if they were one person playing another, which makes using them much more accessible and more straightforward.
Internet Of Things + Artificial Intelligence
Have you heard about smart homes?
Smart homes (or smart homes) are designed for the internet of things. They are built with this in mind, being sold with intelligent devices, that is, adapted to the internet of things, such as security systems, lamps, and temperature control, among others. Basically, your cell phone can control the whole house, and the devices learn from your habits and adapt fluidly to your routine. But how do they do it?
In addition to communication between devices over the internet, each device also features a machine learning algorithm. With this, the times you use the device become data that the algorithm uses to learn. And because devices are connected and share information, the way you use a particular device also influences the learning of others. So, the house begins to learn your habits and predict your actions over time.
Although artificial intelligence exists independently of the internet of things and has applications of different types, the internet of things depends on artificial intelligence to function and work its magic.
Also Read: All About Artificial Intelligence: 10 Facts You Need To Know