Conversations on Science: The Internet of Things (IoT)

Widely known as the "Father of the Internet," Vinton Cerf is the co-designer of the TCP/IP protocols and basic architecture of the Internet. He worked on developing the protocols that would become the basis for internet communication throughout the 1970s. In the early 1980s, while at MCI, he developed and deployed the first commercial email service to use the internet. His efforts have greatly shaped the communication and technological world as we know it. Now, he looks ahead to what the internet has in store for our future.

The first version of the Internet was about data created by people, while the next version is about data created by things. The Internet of Things describes a world of devices from cars to light bulbs that communicate with a central network and with one another. When most of us think about the concept of being connected, we think about our phones, tablets and computers. The IoT describes a world where just about anything can connect and communicate with anything else in an intelligent way. It's a world that communicates without the direct participation of humans making millions of "decisions" that can help make the world a better place by reducing waste, loss and costs.

Speaker: Vinton Cerf (Google), in conversation with Jacob Ward

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