AI at the Edge: Solving Real-World Problems with Embedded Machine Learning

Over the past few years, a growing community of engineers and researchers have quietly rewritten the rules for how computers interact with the physical world. The result, a technology known as “edge artificial intelligence,” promises to upend a century of computer history and touch the lives of every human being. With a tiny software update, edge AI technology can grant cheap, energy-efficient processors—already inside everything from dishwashers to thermostats—the ability to perceive and understand the world. We can empower everyday objects with their own intelligence, no longer dependent on data-hungry centralized servers. And next-generation tools put this magic in reach of everyone, from high school students to conservation researchers.