AI at the Edge

Chapter 2. Edge AI in the Real World

We now have a basic understanding of what edge AI means and what makes it—in theory—a useful set of technologies. In this coming chapter, we’ll see what that theory looks like when it makes contact with the real world. We’ll start by examining some actual products that are out in the field today. After that, we’ll explore the top application areas for edge AI products. Finally, we’ll learn more about the ethical considerations required to make any product a success.

Common Use Cases for Edge AI

As we learned in the previous chapter, edge AI is especially valuable for devices with an abundance of sensor data but a lack of compute or connectivity. Luckily for us, these conditions can be found nearly everywhere.

In modern cities, it can feel like we’re never very far from a power socket or a wireless access point. But even when high bandwidth network connections and reliable power are available, there are huge advantages to limiting the communications and power consumption of devices. As we saw in “To Understand the Benefits of Edge AI, Just BLERP”, the pursuit of desirable features such as portability, reliability, privacy, and cost can drive product development toward devices that are designed to minimize the use amount of connectivity and energy usage.

Despite our seemingly global internet, there are plenty of places on the planet that are limited in connectivity or power. At the time of writing, 50% of the Earth’s land is relatively untouched ...