Artificial intelligence and internet of things in small and medium-sized enterprises: A survey

Internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) are popular topics of Industry 4.0. Many publications regarding these topics have been published, but they are primarily focused on larger enterprises. However, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are considered the economic backbone of many countries, which is why it is increasingly important that these kinds of companies also have easy access to these technologies and can make them operational. This paper presents a comprehensive survey and investigation of how widespread AI and IoT are among manufacturing SMEs, and discusses the current limitations and opportunities towards enabling predictive analytics. Firstly, an overview of the enablers for AI and IoT is provided along with the four analytics capabilities. Hereafter a comprehensive literature review is conducted and its findings showcased. Finally, emerging topics of research and development, making AI and IoT accessible technologies to SMEs, and the associated future trends and challenges are summarised.