The role of Large Language Models in addressing IoT challenges: A systematic literature review

Abstract

The Internet of Things (IoT) has revolutionized various sectors by enabling devices to communicate and interact seamlessly. However, developing IoT applications has data management, security, and interoperability challenges. Large Language Models (LLMs) have shown promise in addressing these challenges due to their advanced language processing capabilities. This Systematic Literature Review assesses the role of LLMs in addressing IoT challenges, exploring the strategies, hardware, and software configurations used, and identifying directions for future research. We extensively searched databases like Scopus, IEEE Xplore, and ACM Digital Library, initially screening 1,419 studies and identifying an additional 1,167 through snowballing, ultimately focusing on 55 relevant papers. The findings reveal LLMs’ potential to address key IoT challenges such as security and scalability. However, they also highlight significant obstacles, including high computational demands and the complexities of training and tuning these models. Future research should aim to develop methods to reduce the computational requirements of LLMs, improve training datasets, simplify implementation processes, and explore the ethical and privacy implications of using LLMs in IoT applications.