IBM and IFTTT join forces to get the IoT world ‘talking’

Automation service IFTTT (If This Then That) has secured $24 million in funding from IBM and others to hire top programming talent and deliver highly customized experiences for IoT users. By integrating with IBM Watson’s unique cognitive abilities, IFTTT hopes to usher in a new era of connectivity.

Watson is a question-answering computer system, an assistant capable of answering questions posed in natural language. The IoT-focused version of Watson lets developers simplify, connect, manage, analyze and secure IoT devices and data.

IFTTT is an automation platform that allows anyone, from programmers to regular folk, to create chains of conditional statements, called applets. For example, if someone in your list of friends posts with a certain hashtag, an applet can ensure you are automatically sent an email. Users can also employ applets to automate tasks like sending messages and posting to social media, or even trigger desired behavior in connected devices.

Bret Greenstein, VP of Watson IoT at IBM, says his company is working closely with the people at IFTTT “to realize the potential of today’s connected world.”

“By bringing together IBM’s Watson IoT Platform and Watson Assistant Solutions with consumer-facing services, we can help clients to create powerful and open solutions for their users that work with everything in the Internet of Things,” said Greenstein. “Our work together is an important step to enable true interoperability between devices as IoT becomes pervasive across business and society alike.”

On its blog, IBM explains the true scope of the investment as a reimagining of the customer experience.

“When Watson Assistant works in combination with the IFTTT ecosystem, companies have a way to create entirely new connections for customers. These connections will make life more convenient, more secure, more informative and even more fun,” the post reads.

Basically, IBM wants to enable IoT vendors and service providers to engage with their end users faster, better and more efficiently. The two services combined promise to offer users unique, personalized experiences that realize the full power of AI and IoT.

“And with IFTTT and Watson Assistant together, those experiences can work with every product in the Internet of Things,” IBM says.

IBM promises to keep customer data private and secure.

“All the data and interactions belong to our clients, not us,” Greenstein told eWeek.