Here are some real examples:

• TV and Music
  Even though TV, setup boxes and your favorite OTT subscription have a history of your likes and dislikes, at the best what is offered is a recommendation of what you can watch when you turn it ON.
  While your desire is to have these products just work for you – Sit on the TV couch around 7:30 pm after returning from work and the TV should know that you typically watch News at this time so just turn on and automatically go to the News channel. The lights should adjust to TV scene mode and your home theater should start with the right sound mode and level. Same scenario on a weekend, it’s again 7:30 pm but you usually watch a show or movie. The TV should be aware, by accessing its history, and should provide you with a few choices of movies that you can choose from. Use voice control to make your selection and the rest is automatically set up for you, lighting, sound, theater mode etc.
  This is the complete touchless smart home experience we should have. Similar automation for background music, the player should play your favorites as learned from you normal routines when you enter a music enabled room.




• A home that understands
  Let’s walk through a use case of a routine day. You wake up and the lights should gradually brighten to let you adjust your eyes. Your thermostat is now adjusted for occupied mode and as you open up the blinds, the lights automatically adjust as natural light floods in. Your wake up has already activated the coffee maker and toaster. As you finish your morning routines, your calendar has already informed your car to heat up since you have an in-person morning meeting. As you leave the home, it knows the vacancy pattern and starts optimizing appliances, thermostats and auto-arms your security system when the home is fully vacant. As you are returning, your home prepares itself for your arrival. In the driveway the garage automatically opens, as you exit your car the garage entry door unlocks with lights adjusting automatically as you enter your home. And of course your evening wine is ready in the kitchen.

Unfortunately, such experiences are as yet only seen in movies or showcased in articles about a wealthy person’s high-tech home.

The main reason is the base product requirements and built-in intelligence, viz:

• Connectivity – This is mostly in place now.
• Sensors – Many products don’t have sensors or only rudimentary ones, just to operate simple devices like timers in kitchen appliances. It’s analogous to humans having 5 senses to make more intelligent decisions versus a jellyfish or a sea sponge that has just one type of sensing. Providing pertinent sensors enables a product to be able to access data required for intelligent decision making. Instead of just timed cooking, a temperature probe and humidity sensing can provide additional information that the item is sufficiently, and not over or under cooked.
• Intelligent Software (AI+ML) – Many products are connected, this doesn’t necessarily mean they are smart. Intelligent software leverages modern AI/ML technology to predict your needs and then respond to them. It also requires essential data to be fed to the AI/ML engine to provide an autonomous solution.
• Data and Decision Sharing – Some level of sharing of raw data and decision awareness between products is required to provide a more encompassing experience.

Paradigm shifts occur only when we experience a new and better way to do things. Take the example of chatGPT as a revolutionary way of how we can interact with an AI platform that goes beyond simple keyword-based searches.

Much of the necessary technology already exists, or is just around the corner, to make intelligent products cost effective

The question is will others adopt product strategies to enable AI+ML at the edge, beyond just connected?