The mutual impact of 5G and AI

When it comes to tech innovation, it seems like we’ve reached an inflection point. Over the past five years, we’ve seen tremendous advancements in digital technologies, moving from ideation to the conversation stage and finally to real-world applications. Edge computing is one of those technologies. While not necessarily new, we’re only now beginning to see how edge computing—the shift away from centralized data centers or cloud regions to distributed computing closer to the source of the data—can become a critical tool for certain industries. And rightfully so. Edge computing has the power to dramatically accelerate innovation in these industries. But for businesses to experience the full benefits of edge, they need to understand the role that advanced technologies like 5G and artificial intelligence (AI) can play in introducing disruptive new use cases.

5G is the next iteration of mobile communications that will enable wireless services with significantly lower latency and throughput, a big improvement over its predecessors. 5G will also usher in other changes to mobile networks, including cloud-native software-driven components and open interfaces all the way down to the radio network (RAN). All of this new technology comes with more complexity, but mobile operators can’t afford to increase network operating costs to deal with that complexity. That’s where artificial intelligence comes in. AI will be critical to the success of 5G and edge computing, enabling self-monitoring capabilities that ensure high quality and low latency of service. While none of these technologies may be new to the business technology stack, they’ve never been more relevant or critical to the needs of enterprises. Here’s how they will impact each other and where we’ll see the biggest impact.

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The impact of AI on 5G

The possibilities for AI application developers and 5G service providers in the future are growing, especially when the two technologies are combined. On their own, 5G’s capabilities can increase speed; however, when combined with AI, entirely new opportunities emerge. AI-based applications can react in near real-time to the data generated by 5G networks, providing a whole new realm of automation possibilities. And for 5G, AI’s automation capabilities are critical. 5G networks are more complex than previous generations and require constant monitoring to ensure they are operating at optimal levels. This observation cannot be entirely owned by humans, as it requires around-the-clock management to keep the network optimized and running well. Utilizing AI’s automated monitoring capabilities can do just that, helping not only manage 5G networks but also help control costs; as a result, many service providers will adopt AI to build networks that can self-manage and self-heal.

The impact of 5G on AI

5G’s ability to provide higher bandwidth and lower latency opens up many new opportunities for AI applications. For example, think of an AI-powered voice assistant. When a user asks Siri or Alexa a question, there’s a small delay in the response as the technology needs to travel to a cloud center to process the request and determine the answer. This short delay may be fine when asking casual questions. What’s the weather like, who won last night’s baseball game, or something else? But in more urgent situations, those few seconds can be critical and require a response in milliseconds. When combined with the capabilities of 5G networks, AI applications will be able to work smarter and faster. We’ll see this create new opportunities in important industries like healthcare or the military, but also in consumer-facing areas like retail and gaming where it will provide enhanced experiences.

Where will we see this happening?

Industries that adopt 5G and AI will change dramatically, creating new opportunities that can be exploited as competitive differentiators. Manufacturing is one of the industries most likely to be transformed by advanced technologies. The industry is moving towards full automation, using AI to ensure it acts and reacts intelligently without human intervention. But it also needs 5G; not only to reduce latency requirements, but also to facilitate the use of edge computing. The use of edge computing in manufacturing will enable the necessary data that is traveling on the network to be as close to each machine as possible so that it can be accurately delivered in real time. Industrial equipment will be able to work intelligently and autonomously, ultimately achieving self-management of every aspect of production.

On a less critical note, 5G and AI will improve the experience for gamers, a staunch group for whom every millisecond of latency can make or break their experience, especially with the introduction of technologies like augmented reality. They need the advanced speed and connectivity that 5G can provide, as well as the AI-driven self-management of the network.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has forced companies to recalibrate and rethink every aspect of their business, how they manage product development, which innovation strategies are successful, and which tools to incorporate into their technology stack. As the economy continues to change and market competition becomes increasingly fierce, companies need to think strongly about how to gain an advantage in the new normal. Now is the right time to adopt new technologies that will revolutionize our industry. Driven by 5G and artificial intelligence applications, edge computing is the right technology for this moment and beyond.