Artificial Intelligence (AI) or machine learning, as is the more accurate description, are the terms describing technologies that use historical data to predict what a user wants their system to do. AI is transforming the smart home experience by enabling a generation of products that require little to no interaction with the user to work properly. For example, thermostats from several manufacturers are now utilizing AI to adjust the temperature to the preferred setting at the preferred time of day, simply based on the usual routine of home occupants.

Another example is a security alarm system that arms itself based on knowledge of homeowners’ routines combined with sensor data that predicts when people have left the home. An important emerging use case for smart home and AI are sensors in a senior’s home to infer that certain movements, or lack thereof, indicate the likelihood of a fall, and quickly follow a pattern of verifications that may result in a call to caregivers or emergency personnel.

ADT, the largest security provider in the U.S., through its partnership with Google, intends to redefine the home security experience. The first product of this partnership, called “ADT +” will be an “always on” system – one in which the user never has to remember to arm or disarm. The always on system constantly monitors the home, both inside and out, and determines if a package arrival, a person at the door, a glass break, or an opened door constitutes a simple alert or an event to be escalated as a potential emergency. The system learns what lights to turn on, what doors to lock, and what time the home should be secured. Events that could be intrusions are verified using environmental data, including who is at home, what rooms are occupied, and when movement was last detected.

“The smart home industry is aggressively embracing AI to bring unprecedented functionality and value to consumers,” said Stuart Sikes, SVP of Interpret. “Many companies are building their own AI intelligence, and many are licensing AI components from AI product companies. Google’s significant investment in ADT creates a marriage between an AI leader and a consumer experience leader. We are looking forward to the partnership’s initial product release.”

The impact of AI on the smart home industry is covered in Interpret’s upcoming trends report, titled Smart Home 3.0 and AI.