James Smythe

“With the success of Alexa and Google Assistant over the 2017 Christmas period, there appears to be a shift away from dedicated systems such as Z-Wave to companies providing access to their products via APIs and integrating AI assistants.

The primary concern with all home automation is the growing issue of cybersecurity. We have already seen millions of baby cams used for botnets. AI assistants are designed to always be in listening mode, so for one of these systems to be compromised would be catastrophic for the industry.

While security is a significant concern, a user-friendly system is also essential. I believe this is where Amazon and Google have gained ground over old systems, as they are so easy to set-up.”