Home Tech Advancements: A Byproduct of AI
Many home technologies and luxuries originate from industrial development and changing needs. I think AI will be another example of this. When businesses have operational costs and problems that are expensive, they tend to invest a lot into finding ways to drive those costs down. One of these problems or costs can be the social and moral obligation that consumers expect from them. In the case of AI, some of those social costs are the amount of natural resources and the sound and thermal pollution AI produces.
I believe that over time the "cost" of AI will come down significantly, like that of computers. This includes both the operational cost and the social cost. AI data centers will (hopefully) one day require less water and produce less noise and heat. There is already a lot of research and development around cooling and energy innovation with AI. These discoveries and developments could bring forth breakthroughs on how we cool our homes and reduce the amount of energy needed to power things like home appliances and EVs.
Let's take a quick look at some industrial needs and how they turned out to be a residential benefit before we discuss further how AI development could do the same.
LED Lights
Industrial need: Companies and factories wanted to reduce electricity costs and the maintenance of replacing bulbs.
Residential benefit: LED light because affordable for homeowners; they use around 80% less electricity, produce less heat, and last years compared to traditional light bulbs.
Heat Pumps
Industrial needs: Large commercial building owners needed to efficiently control the climate of their buildings.
Residential benefit: Contemporary residential heat pumps heat and cool much more efficiently compared to older heat pumps.
Lithium-Ion Batteries
Industrial needs: Need to reduce battery expense, backup power, and cordless power.
Residential benefit: Gave homeowners backup power solutions, cordless tools, smartphones, and home battery systems.
Solar Panels
Industrial needs: Developed to provide long-lasting power for space satellites.
Residential benefits: Rooftop solar systems can greatly reduce or eliminate electric bills.
After looking at these examples, in what ways do you think that the development around AI could potentially be a benefit to homeowners or humanity in general?