In recent years, IoT seems to be intersecting with three major trends: 1) the rise of edge computing (processing data on the device rather than in the cloud), 2) the proliferation of "smart IoT" as AI/ML is integrated, and 3) the tightening of security standards due to regulatory pressure. So, which of these do you think is the most critical? As someone working in startups during this transitional period, which area should we focus on? Let’s brainstorm—what are your observations?
The Future of IoT: Which Trends Are Taking Center Stage—From Security to Utility?
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We went through a similar transition in the mid‑2010s in the mobile world—until GDPR made every player start taking security standards seriously. Back then, three trends were being discussed: the rise of local processing power (much like edge), AI‑driven personalization, and increasing regulatory pressure. In mobile we learned that regulation and standards were the most critical, because without them the other two trends (edge‑style optimizations and AI applications) couldn’t be pursued without legal or practical risks.
If we apply the same logic to IoT, the benefits of AI/ML integration with edge‑computing efficiency will constantly be dismissed as “security‑risk” unless they’re forced by security standards. For startups, during this transition period, focusing on infrastructure security—not just risk management (compliance)—is far more crucial. For example, moving to AI‑driven sensor optimization or edge processing without having to comply with standards like ISO 27001 or NIST IR 8259 creates a debt that will be hard to unwind later. If startups position themselves according to this regulatory pressure, they can afford to rebuild their infrastructure from scratch to innovate on edge or AI trends—otherwise they’ll be stuck constantly patching emergencies.