Intelligent home buddies

Devices have been getting smarter, and people, lazier.  But smart homes have augured a new era altogether. The security, comfort and convenience of your homes can now be assured with a tap of your finger! Smart home technology also called home automation is a part of the Internet of things (Iot) and has been gaining popularity lately. From controlling the lights in your bedroom to playing the song of your choice by just commanding a device seems surreal, right? With an app on your phone, you can monitor everything that goes on under your roof and be assured of full security. When you’re leaving work and wish to take a hot water bath, tap on the app that controls the smart home devices. Command your device to turn on the geyser and as soon as you reach, command the device to dim the lights to fit your mood, and a relaxing evening all by yourself is in store for you! With the help of Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Google home devices, this latest obsession and fascination with artificial intelligence is like a genie that does all your work, and lets you feel like a master!

Pallavi Ravikiran, a city-based architect says, “The inception of smart homes led to innovations in architecture and design. It has made life easier where any smart home device connected to the Internet enables simpler living as we don’t have to put much efforts. Smart homes ensure better security and is definitely the future of living.” She also feels that smart homes are user-friendly and cost-efficient, as centralised control enables energy saving and less human effort.

Arun Nair, a software engineer and a movie buff feels that the most fascinating thing about Alexa is how it can be controlled by one’s voice. “It has certainly made life easier. It tells me cricket scores, gives me news updates, weather forecast and plays any song on my Amazon music library.” Arun believes that AI is the future of Indian technology, and expects to see robots working in banks and technology being incorporated into every aspect of our lives.  

Jeevan  MR, a city-based software developer argues that AI does not intend on making people lazy, but making life easier. “AI in these devices involves the use of natural language processing and voice recognition software after having been trained with multiple voices, accents and words which it has learned to recognise, and make sense out of.”

“The experience of giving a random command like ‘play Guns and Roses’ to a smart speaker for the first time was surreal!” says Sachit Batra, a technology enthusiast who owns a Google home mini which he purchased due to its potential usefulness. The accuracy of the device in detecting voice commands involving local dialects and the fact that it is a standalone device which does not have to be controlled using a smart phone is one of the many features that Sachit is happy about too.

As a musician, owning an Alexa is very useful as it helps you listen to music from around the world, and the speakers are exceptional, feels Sanket Chakraborty, a city-based drummer. “AI hardly does anything for me. In order to be lazy and let Alexa do all my work, I need to change each and every bulb at home for it to connect and take over,” says Sanket who talks about how Alexa hasn’t yet reached the point where it could completely function as a smart home device.

The limitations of these devices include using a particular company’s products that enable smart device connections and the commands given to it need to be specific to get perfect results, which happens over time as AI learns and picks up on your voice and language.

Smart devices will undoubtedly become smarter, and work out its drawbacks like needing a power source at all times and being able to control the lights only if Syska bulbs are being used. The point of whether or not these devices are making people lazy is still debatable. The characteristic of  a machine talking back to a human is definitely a breakthrough in technology, now all we await are flying cars to make reality seem like a totally sci-fi dream!

— Aditi Jayakumar