Arm’s 2019 IoT Forecast: Smart Homes, AI‑Powered Services, and Privacy Concerns

Arm released its 2019 Internet of Things (IoT) industry forecast, accompanied by a consumer survey exploring attitudes toward IoT, machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), and 5G.

In the new year, IoT technology has made significant advances and is now pervasive across manufacturing, automotive, medical, energy, utilities, and urban infrastructure sectors.

We will see IoT adding value to biotechnology, manufacturing, residential quality of life, and city landscapes, with increasing convergence of IoT, AI, and blockchain.

However, consumers are questioning the trade‑off between convenience and security, emphasizing data privacy and ownership as ongoing concerns.

1. Smart Home Becomes Mainstream

Major consumer brands will launch more IoT‑enabled smart home products, expanding from traditional appliances to lighting, irrigation, HVAC, and other categories, enhancing automation and efficiency in daily life.

2. Personalized Delivery

Delivery will become increasingly personalized. Smartphones combined with GPS and low‑cost sensors will track assets and provide location data, allowing deliveries to flexible destinations beyond just homes or offices.

3. Better Healthcare Services

Hospitals equipped with sensors can improve connectivity, enabling staff to instantly locate medical equipment and issue orders, resulting in faster service and higher quality patient care.

4. Smart City Development: Revenue and Citizen Engagement

Smart city initiatives will shift from cost‑reduction (e.g., LED lighting, waste management) toward increasing citizen participation and new revenue streams, leveraging computer vision, machine learning, traffic violation detection, Wi‑Fi hotspots, 5G, smart towers, crime analysis, and information dissemination.

5. Smart Buildings Adopt More Technologies

Smart buildings will use positioning, computer vision, and machine learning to optimize space, enhance safety through object detection, provide wayfinding, and enable asset tracking.

Arm, together with research firm Northstar, surveyed 2,000 global consumers about technology trends in 2018 and expectations for 2019:

66% said technology became a larger part of daily life in 2018, while only 3% felt it was less important.

54% expect to purchase AI‑enabled gifts; 18% plan to spend significantly more than last year, and 36% are willing to allocate extra budget to smart products.

92% anticipate AI products will become more common within the next 12 months.

In cities, 26% love AI for convenience, 37% appreciate the improved urban experience, 15% cite higher quality of life, and 11% view AI as a symbol of modernity.

Regarding information security and privacy, less than 10% think tech companies do nothing, but 70% want continued effort from firms to improve these areas.

Compiled by: Lao Xia Original article: "Arm Releases IoT Predictions for 2019" by Nitin Dahad