At the end of 2018, the average U.S. broadband household owned 10.5 connected devices, including computing, mobile, smart home, and connected health devices, as well as smart speakers with voice assistants. Technologies like voice control, data analytics, machine learning, blockchain, sound recognition, and artificial intelligence play a substantial role in simplifying, streamlining, and automating the smart home, radically enhancing the value proposition by providing context, awareness, and decision making that moves the market beyond scripted, pre-programmed automation scenes.

Remote access and automated scenes are merely the tip of the smart home iceberg. While 32% of U.S. broadband households own at least one connected device and 16% own two or more, the incremental application of artificial intelligence to a variety of connected product use cases is expected to become a significant factor in driving adoption as intelligent outcomes increase product value for both the consumer and the product manufacturer.

Parks Associates research shows 67% of consumers rate “alerts when someone enters your home,” a key video analytics capability, as the most appealing among a range of home security features. Similarly, 36% also find alerts when their family comes and goes appealing. By knowing which occupant is arriving, personalized settings can be triggered for lighting, thermostat settings, entertainment preferences, etc. Machine learning can adjust these settings as the occupant’s behavior changes over time or other contextual factors come into play, such as time of year, day of the week, presence of others in the home, or weather conditions. Home, away, sleep, and vacation modes are contextual rubrics that inform personalized automation. The primary value of AI and machine learning for intelligent automation is in a vastly improved user experience that requires less effort by the owner. An intelligent system takes care of the occupants and provides a higher level of protection to them.

Moderated by Chris O’Dell, the CONNECTIONS™ session, "Future Tech Driving the Smart Home: AI, Machine Learning, and Blockchain,” examines the impact these emerging technologies will have on the smart home and the associated challenges with implementing these technologies in the home.

This session takes place on Wednesday, May 22 from 2:15 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Speakers include:

• Fredric Bastien, Co-Founder and CEO, Mnubo
• Cristene Gonzalez-Wertz, Electronics + Environment, Energy & Utilities Research Director, IBM Institute for Business Value
• Dr. Chris Mitchell, CEO & Founder, Audio Analytic
• Ori Shaashua, Founder / CPO, Neura Inc.

For more information visit www.connectionsus.com