Justin Grammens
Welcome readers to Issue 140 of IoT Weekly News! I am super excited about what 2021 will bring to our industry and how the IoT will continue to change how businesses and consumers operate. I'm also blessed that you subscribe to this newsletter. Thank you for being a supporter and please reach out if there are any ways in which I can improve this publication or help others in this industry.
One quick note - back in the summer of 2020 I started a podcast called, Conversations on Applied AI. I'm happy to say I have more than 1000 listeners to the episodes that have been published and we are only getting stronger! While the podcast focuses on Artificial Intelligence, it has and will continue to weave in the Internet of Things. As such, I'm looking for more thought leaders to be on the podcast. If you are interested, please connect with me.
Speaking of Artificial Intelligence, be sure to check out the very first article below, Andreessen Horowitz makes some great points on how we have reached a new era of "AL/MI inside" software. While all the articles in this issue are interesting, if there's one article you should read, that is the one.
I've tried to use this issue to focus on some of the more important stories from 2020 and predictions of what we might see in 2021. Thank you for being a loyal subscriber and I hope these issues continue to give you a quick way to access valuable and curated information when it comes to what is going in the areas of IoT/AI and ML. Enjoy!
News
AI in 2020 and 2021
Much like databases became a core part of software back in the 1980s, we have entered a new era of “AI/ML inside” software. So, what will the business models look like and do the economics (and ways we have of measuring existing software businesses) apply when AI/ML is inside?
5 Edge Computing Predictions for 2021
Forrester says 2021 will be the year this emerging technology graduates from experiment to practically applicable tech, driven largely by AI and 5G. 2021 is the year it will finally become a real value. "Until now, edge computing was promising but still developing. In 2021, new business models will emerge that facilitate the deployment of edge in production," Forrester said in a summary of its predictions.
Preparing Smart Devices for the Future of Work
Before the pandemic, smart devices may not have had access to connect. But as workers have logged-on from home, new pathways to sensitive information can be opened.
A Radical New Technique Lets AI Learn With Practically No Data
Machine learning typically requires tons of examples. To get an AI model to recognize a horse, you need to show it thousands of images of horses. This is what makes technology computationally expensive— and very different from human learning. A child often needs to see just a few examples of an object, or even only one, before being able to recognize it for life.
Sponsor
Intelligent Edge and Cloud Solutions
Using Edge Computing, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning, Recursive Awesome provides insights and analytics into how your products are performing and being used by your customers. Contact us today! Let our team help you implement Intelligent Edge and Intelligent Cloud solutions to build smarter products and mobile applications.
Business
Cybersecurity Experts Hail New IoT Law
The bill would increase protection for the billions of connected devices "owned or controlled by the government" in homes and businesses.
Deep Vision Announces Its Low-Latency AI Processor for the Edge
Deep Vision, a new AI startup that is building an AI inferencing chip for edge computing solutions, is coming out of stealth today. The six-year-old company’s new ARA-1 processors promise to strike the right balance between low latency, energy efficiency and compute power for use in anything from sensors to cameras and full-fledged edge servers.
Investing in IoT: What We’re About to See Will Dwarf the Internet
Most people don’t realize it, but there are huge undercurrents that move and shape the economy and our daily lives. We are on the cusp of an amazing technological revolution that will carry the stock market to incredible new highs. Read on to learn about what 2021 has in store for IoT.
Big Data
There's No Turning Back on AI in the Military
In the digital arms race with China, the only thing worse than fearing AI itself is the fear of not having it at all. The accelerating global information age remains dizzying. The year 2020 is on track to produce 59 zettabytes of data. That’s a one with 21 zeroes after it—over 50 times the number of stars in the observable universe.
The True Dangers of AI Are Closer Than We Think
Forget superintelligent AI: algorithms are already creating real harm. The good news: the fightback has begun. Stephen Hawking famously warned that AI could spell an end to civilization. But to many AI researchers, these conversations feel unmoored. It’s not that they don’t fear AI running amok—it’s that they see it already happening, just not in the ways most people would expect.
When 'Code Rot' Becomes a Matter of Life or Death, Especially in the Internet of Things
Code rot leads to under-performing enterprise systems. In today's device-laden edge world, it can be devastating. Another issue lurking: inaccurate AI algorithms. The possibilities opened up to us by the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) is a beautiful thing. However, not enough attention is being paid to the software that goes into the things of IoT.
Employment
Lab651: We Are Hiring!
At Lab651, we believe in pushing the boundaries of technology to provide better experiences and value to our clients and their customers. By joining our team, you'll get in on the ground level of a growing business that is making a difference in the world through connected products. Best of all, you'll be growing your career with the opportunity to work with the best software, electrical, and mechanical engineers in the industry -- and having fun while doing it!
Development
Microsoft Takes Kubernetes Right to the Edge With Release of Akri for IoT Devices
Microsoft's born-again love of open source continued today with the sharing of Akri, a project simplifying the use of network edge devices with Kubernetes.
Google kills Android Things, its IoT OS, in January
The latest dead Google project is Android Things, a version of Android meant for the Internet of Things. Google announced it had basically given up on the project as a general-purpose IoT operating system in 2019, but now there's an official shutdown date thanks to a new FAQ page detailing the demise of the OS.
Crowd Funding
360VRFit: Transforms Ordinary Machines into VR Fit Equipment by M2ME
An IoT sensor that turns the indoor cycle, rowing machine, and horse-riding machine at home into a VR fitness equipment!