Welcome to the Tech Policy Podcast. I'm Evan's Hortchropper.

On today's show, the Internet of Things, what exactly are these things?

How is this big new development that we keep hearing about going to benefit our lives?

Is it really that great to have an internet-connected coffee maker?

Joining me to discuss this is Joshua New, policy analyst at the Center for Data Innovation,

which is a, I guess, a sister organization to the information innovation technology, ITIF.

You know, a stepchild. We're all part of the same family.

Okay. Well, we're big fans of ITIF, so great to have you on the show.

So we talked about this on the show before, the Internet of Things, you know, everything being

connected, things that you might not think were possible or even relevant or meaningful.

But just to refresh listeners' memory, what exactly is the Internet of Things?

So the Internet of Things is the idea that it's now technologically feasible and cost-effective

to put a sensor and an internet connection on pretty much everything.

So, you know, it's a Fitbit, it's a smart thermostat, it sensors in a bridge that can tell you when it might fall apart.

So you can fix it before it causes a catastrophe.

It's a network factory floors, smart farming equipment.

Basically the idea that pretty much any device can now collect and transmit data that can be analyzed and acted upon.

And what exactly are the benefits that we're going to be seeing from the Internet of things

other than, you know, your bridge not collapsing?

I mean, how is the average consumer going to benefit from having more and more connected devices

in their house, which does pose cybersecurity concerns that we've talked about on the show

before?

...