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Top five AIoT trends for 2025

In recent years, we have seen the evolving trends in the security landscape. As technology advances, the focus has broadened from merely securing our world to making it smarter. AIoT (AI-powered Internet of Things) is leading this transformation, revolutionising industries beyond security. In this article, Hikvision explores the trends driving AIoT, showing how they are reshaping industries and fostering a more efficient, secure, and sustainable future.

1. Perception technologies adapt to environments and situational needs

Perception technologies are continuing to evolve to operate efficiently in diverse conditions. AI Image Signal Processing (AI-ISP) technology, for example, has already set a high bar on image quality performance in low-light conditions by significantly reducing image noise and addressing motion blur. Ultra High Definition (UHD) technologies are becoming the norm for large-scale monitoring scenarios requiring wide angles and detailed images. They offer faster frame rates, improved contrast, and richer details, making capturing and analysing vast, complex scenes easier.

Beyond the visible light spectrum, millimetre-wave radars see through smoke, dust, and obstacles, providing precise speed and direction measurements widely used in traffic management. In noisy, harsh industrial settings with continuous operations, sound wave sensing enables non-invasive equipment monitoring for early fault detection, reducing downtime.

2. AIoT brings digitalisation to life in diverse industrial applications

Companies are increasingly adopting AIoT technologies to address specific operational challenges and speed up digital transformation. In retail, where loss prevention and maintaining a competitive edge are crucial, AIoT devices now provide valuable data such as inventory tracking, foot traffic, queue lengths, and area density. This information helps stores tailor their offerings, optimise operations, and mitigate losses.

In the energy sector, safety is a non-negotiable requirement. AIoT solutions, such as automated personal protective equipment (PPE) checks, now use AI to streamline the inspection of proper safety gear, reducing manual oversight and enhancing workplace safety.

Furthermore, the development of large vision, audio, and fibre-optic models is being tailored with industry-specific designs, algorithm optimisation, and model simplification. This trend aims to create lightweight, vertical-specific AIoT deployments that are practical and effective in real-world scenarios.

Additionally, the increasing adoption of generative AI adds an extra layer of ease and efficiency. Multimodal large models, which integrate text with visual data, make searching and interacting with information much simpler, such as when people are locating a particular package in a logistics centre. These models deliver increasingly rapid and seamless access to needed data by providing user-friendly text-based interfaces, streamlining decision-making and operational processes.

3. A significant move towards open and collaborative ecosystems

As the demand for tailored AIoT solutions in fragmented industrial scenarios has increased, no single company can meet all the user demands independently. Open platforms and tools are, therefore, becoming essential. These enable solution providers to integrate third-party applications to accelerate digital transformation across industries seamlessly.

Standardised protocols simplify device communication to further support this, reducing development time and costs. These protocols make it easier for all device types to work together, addressing issues like configuration complexity, scalability, and network security.

This collaborative environment helps developers and integrators create flexible and effective AIoT solutions. Simple-to-use AI training platforms are now becoming widely available, allowing non-specialist systems integrators to train and deploy their own custom AI models. Users can easily combine and customise these AI models for tasks like object detection and audio classification, enhancing the functionality of their solutions and, therefore, the value they can add in sectors ranging from industrial processes to home automation.

4. Building cybersecurity trust

Cybersecurity remains a critical concern in the expanding AIoT landscape. Increasingly, companies are adopting proactive yet responsive cybersecurity approaches that focus on rapid threat detection and effective response. By partnering with specialised security testing firms, they can evaluate products against a wide range of standards, identifying and tackling vulnerabilities early to prevent exploitation. Continuous testing ensures that updates and enhancements consistently meet the highest security benchmarks.

Transparent communication has become crucial for openly addressing security concerns. Increasingly, organisations are establishing security response centres and deploying robust vulnerability management programmes. Again, close collaboration is key to this trend, with installers, system integrators, and customers all working together to ensure secure deployment and use, leading to a more resilient and trusted operational framework.

5. AIoT is a game-changing catalyst for sustainability

Organisations worldwide are seeking more sustainable ways to operate and conduct business, and many are turning to AIoT technologies to do this. By augmenting connected sensors with AI algorithms, AIoT is helping to optimise resource use, cut energy consumption, improve waste management, and boost operational efficiency in numerous industries.

In building management, for example, AIoT systems are used to automatically adjust energy use based on occupancy and weather conditions, leading to significant cost savings and lower carbon emissions. In transport, the technology is being used to optimise traffic flow and reduce congestion, cutting carbon emissions in the process.

Similarly, the combination of millimetre-wave radar and water-level detection cameras allows for real-time water quality and flood control analysis. Advances such as these highlight AIoT’s potential as a powerful tool for positive change, benefiting both people and the planet.

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