Providing Market Intelligence for 40 Years

In The News

The Smart Money: AI Moves from Promise to Platform

At Parks Associates' CONNECTIONS Conference, the AI data was encouraging, but the gaps – trust, complexity, and monetization – remain unsolved.

AI dominated all three days of Parks Associates' 30th annual CONNECTIONS Conference, linking security, energy, health, broadband, and workforce – but monetization, trust, and reduced complexity will determine how fast it transforms everyday living.

Across three days of Parks Associates' 30th annual CONNECTIONS Conference, AI emerged as the defining theme linking security, energy, broadband, infrastructure, mobility, and the future workforce. The message was consistent: AI is here, but the industry's ability to monetize it, build trust around it, and make it useful without overwhelming consumers will determine how quickly it transforms everyday living.

Parks Associates research shared during the opening workshop found that 58% of U.S. internet households use AI, while 16% pay a fee for AI tools. Jennifer Kent, SVP and principal analyst, noted that consumers now own an average of 17.8 connected devices – a wide installed base for AI-enabled services. But adoption does not equal trust. AI tools carry a Net Promoter Score of just 4, underscoring a significant gap between usage and confidence.

Additional data points from Parks Associates research of 8,000 U.S. internet households:

  • Roughly 50% of households have some form of security solution.
  • 31% of consumers intend to upgrade their security camera.
  • Rapid Response Monitoring reports it can clear 93% of calls without dispatching when richer context is available.
  • John Mack of Raymond James cited roughly $8 trillion in cash on corporate balance sheets globally, creating investment pressure around AI-enabled security and safety.

From the article, "The Smart Money: AI Moves from Promise to Platform" by Elizabeth Parks

 

Previously In The News

Consumers Want Security Systems With Remote Monitoring

“Smart home adjacencies have helped revitalize the traditional security industry, but also create new competition," stated Dina Abdelrazik, research analyst at Parks Associates. "Consumers can create...

Amazon, Best Buy Team Up On New Smart TV Sets, But Can Alexa Beat Roku?

And as a stand-alone device attached to TVs to get streaming services, Roku leads Amazon substantially. According to a report from Parks Associates last year, Roku had a 37% share of the streaming dev...

26% Own A Smart Device, 53% Installed It Themselves

The study, by Parks Associates, found that more than a quarter (26%) of U.S. broadband households own at least one smart home device, such as smart thermostat, video doorbell or smart door lock. Of...

Consumers Tapping Voice Assistants To Buy More Things

The smart speaker is turning out to be one of the most significant of smart-home devices. Already, 26% of U.S. broadband households own at least one smart home device and household penetration of smar...