Chinese firm Hikvision has announced five key trends it believes will shape the AIoT landscape in 2026.

As the industry enters 2026, the convergence of AI and IoT infrastructure is reshaping industries, unlocking opportunities to optimise operations, enhance security, and improve sustainability. Here are Hikvision’s forecasts of the five key trends.

1. Scenario-based AIoT rapidly unlocking business value

Thanks to AIoT, there has been a profound digital shift moving beyond basic IT information to deep integration with operational technology (OT). Business value is no longer created by fragmented data collection, but increasingly by harvesting insights naturally and continuously from daily operations. By embedding perception capabilities into specific real-world scenarios, AIoT enables automated agility and real-time decisions, rapidly generating new business value.

2. Large-scale AI models evolving into new capabilities for AI+

Large-scale AI models are empowering the core analysis and processing flow through AI+ integration. While large language models have revolutionised human-digital interaction, industry-specific models are now reshaping how IoT data interact with the physical world. This can already be seen. By embedding AI into data analysis and signal processing, these models significantly enhance precision and efficiency. AI agents are now bridging the gap between perception and human intent, enabling users to communicate naturally using everyday language.

3. Edge AI transforming devices from data collectors to intelligent analysers

Increasingly, the cloud-plus-AI model is no longer the only option for enterprise digitalisation. By moving AI functions from the cloud to the edge, organisations can achieve millisecond-level response times, operate seamlessly offline and maintain on-premises privacy. This localised architecture extends its value by greatly optimising storage efficiency. This is particularly significant for complex video analysis. Edge devices can now precisely identify key targets such as people or vehicles at the source. Then, the system applies differentiated encoding, preserving critical foreground details, while compressing background areas. This drastically reduces storage requirements without sacrificing visual clarity.

4. Responsible AI embedding ethics into every stage of innovation

AI is transforming lives, work and business at an unprecedented pace. Yet, this revolution brings a critical responsibility to ensure innovation unfolds safely, ethically, transparently and beneficially for all. Responsible AI is no longer optional; it is both a moral imperative and a strategic necessity that builds trust, mitigates risk and drives long-term innovation. It should permeate the entire AI lifecycle from research and development to deployment and real-world application.

5. AIoT expanding technology’s role from business to society and environment

AIoT is now being widely adopted for broader social and environmental applications, demonstrating how intelligent systems can serve humanity and nature. Specialised AIoT devices are revolutionising conservation efforts, from wildlife monitoring to vegetation health tracking. For example, crop growth monitoring systems that leverage AIoT technologies for large-scale, real-time analysis are becoming increasingly widespread in agriculture, enabling precise management and optimising yields through digitisation.

To read more about Hikvision’s AIoT forecasts, go to www.hikvision.com/en/newsroom/blog/.