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Artificial Intelligence: It’s in your home - TechInvest Magazine Online

Written by Synology ANZ | Nov 16, 2018 4:55:11 PM

Artificial intelligence is far more accessible than you’d ever believe

The term ‘artificial intelligence’ has been dominating headlines and conversations. It is the technology that’s about to change the way the world works. The technology with the ability to streamline processes, cut costs and transform business potential. What few people realise is that artificial intelligence (AI) is also changing the way people live from within their homes.




AI is transforming the modern household. It is being used to design intelligent living spaces that recognise you and your needs to make your life easier. Imagine waking up in the morning and walking into the kitchen to a pot of freshly brewed coffee and a note that you’re late for your gym class? Or perhaps looking in the fridge and discovering that your favourite yoghurt, the one you finished on Tuesday, is already replenished? That you don’t need to turn around when you are halfway to work because you’re not sure whether you turned on the alarm since you were in such a rush – the AI has already done it for you…

AI can handle all of this. Much of its potential remains unexplored as of yet, but these scenarios are the tip of the AI iceberg and its ability to revolutionise the home. It’s not quite at the point where it can order your groceries yet, but the steady evolution of devices and drop in prices will likely see AI become a realistic part of the home sooner than most people realise.

Research firm Gartner has predicted that by 2022 AI devices may have achieved such a level of emotional intelligence that they will know more about a person’s family than they themselves do. Existing solutions such as Amazon Echo and Google Home have already found their way into homes, personalised to suit a particular person’s taste and mood. These devices have made AI accessible to you and me.

In today’s world, you don’t need a hefty investment or a fully automated house to enjoy the benefits of AI. The average home already has a router, a network attached storage (NAS) device, surveillance cameras and a thermostat. These devices are as common as the coffee machine, but they can be seamlessly connected to AI to give you complete control over your home.

Want to protect your children from exposure to inappropriate content online? Using Siri on your smartphone and an AI-integrated NAS and router, you can monitor the internet usage of every person in your home and their online behaviour, providing you with simple and effective parental control from anywhere. You can even use this set-up to generate a QR code that can be scanned to gain access to your Wi-Fi network providing a much easier way of granting access to your network than fumbling about in a desk drawer for the Wi-Fi password you can never remember.

Have you ever been woken up by the alarm blaring only to discover it triggered by wind, rain or even just a bug? Investing in an AI-integrated system ensures that they will bypass the tedium of the false alarm. An effective AI-powered surveillance system is capable of advanced pattern recognition algorithms that will minimise false alarms and maximise a good night’s rest.

For those who can never find their photographs or sort them in any kind of usable order, AI-driven systems will not only categorise photos based on themes, objects and people, but also allows you to edit them so they are perfect for printing. Adjust the lighting, create a template for a photo book, build memories into easy to find folders, all can be done in a fraction of the time you used to take the photos.

From photos to surveillance, from music to monitoring the internet, AI is already in the home, improving your quality of life by taking away the admin and adding in the fun. It’s already accessible today and will make a significant difference to the way you live.

Synology at a Glance

Synology creates network attached storage, IP surveillance solutions, and network equipments that transform the way users manage data, conduct surveillance, and manage networks in the cloud era. By taking full advantage of the latest technologies, Synology aims to help users centralise data storage and backup, share files on-the-go, implement professional surveillance solutions and manage networks in reliable and affordable ways. Synology is committed to delivering products with forward-thinking features and pride ourselves on being the best in customer services.