In China, things are even more connected than people, writes Winston Ma, Adjunct Professor, NYU School of Law, in Europeansting.com, in a thorough overview of the possibilities and challenges of the Internet of Things. Are we ready for the future?
Winston Ma:
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In China, the internet of things (IoT) has proliferated to the degree that there are now more connected things than connected people.
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As the era of connected things has expanded into industrial applications and emerging technologies advance, several problems still need to be solved, including its rollout at scale.
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Societal challenges, such as the infrastructure gap, personal data protection and e-waste, must be tackled head-on in the new era of connected things.
In August 2022, the number of connected “things” (mobile devices) exceeded the number of connected “people” for the first time in China.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), there were 1.698 billion devices connected to the internet of things (IoT) in China’s mobile network, surpassing figures for mobile phone users. That trend is accelerating.
In just a few months, 52.3% of all connectivity in China was represented by “things” (1.845 billion) by the end of 2022 (see Figure 1). Therefore, China will see more IoT-driven digital transformation in the coming years…
Are we ready for the future:
In summary, the next decade will see the merging of the physical, digital and biological worlds in ways that create considerable promise and potential peril.
Hundreds of billions, if not trillions, of new digital infrastructure, will be needed and implemented. The transformation of industries will far exceed the consumer internet boom we witnessed last decade and the e-waste issue may be amplified.
Finally, are we ready with sufficient data regulation, privacy protection and AI ethics for the new Internet of Everything?
Much more in Europeansting.com
Winston Ma is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers’ request form.
Are you looking for more experts on innovation at the China Speakers Bureau? Do check out this list.
