The internet of things (IoT) is transforming everyday physical objects that surround us into an ecosystem of information that is rapidly changing the way we live our lives. From refrigerators and cars, to parking spaces and houses, IoT is bringing more and more items into the digital fold every day. Our homes, to give one example, could soon be tracking everything we do on a daily basis – from locking and unlocking the front door, to automatically ordering the groceries when the fridge is empty.

Whether we want, or are indeed ready, for this new level of automation, is another matter. But it won’t be long before it is the norm and a new evolution in technology once again changes our lives as we thought we knew them.

For Olivier Ribet, vice president of Dassault Systemes’ High Tech Industry, the key question is: “how do you determine when you allow [IOT] devices to take decisions on your behalf and when don’t you?”

So far, all of these objects have explicitly asked you ‘do you want me to do that for you?’ Now, more and more, you start to see people saying we shouldn’t even question [devices taking decisions our behalf],” Ribet says.

Projections are telling us that within the next decade the internet could connect as many as 200 billion things – and not just machines such as cars or household appliances, but anything that you can fit a chip or sensor into – including humans. While these IoT devices should make life simpler, even healthier, can we trust them to look after us?

This is the question at the core of a new series, What’s Next in the Internet of Things?  We invite you to check out the video, article and infographic that explore the impact IoT devices on humankind.  Can they really change how we interact with one another?  Will they truly keep us more safe – or do they open us to new privacy concerns?  How can testing via the 3DEXPERIENCE platform help companies who are creating these innovative devices better understand every possible and unprecedented scenario before we use the products in real life?

Catch the entire series here, and let us know in the comments below what you think!

NOTE: The video, infographic and article were first published as an Advertisement Feature on bbc.com and were created by the BBC Advertising Commercial Production team in partnership with Dassault Systèmes.