Near infrared (NIR) light-triggered drug and gene delivery platforms have emerged as an elegant and non-invasive tool for remote spatiotemporal control of drug and gene payload release because NIR light can not only be easily tuned and focused, but also have deeper tissue penetration and minimal damage to healthy tissues. This control is considered crucial to boost local effective drug or gene accumulation while minimizing side effects, thereby resulting in improved therapeutic efficacy. Exploration of NIR light-responsive drug or gene delivery systems opens up a new and exciting possibility for applications in nanomedicine. This chapter provides a general introduction of NIR nanomaterials, followed by the presentation of nanocarriers for NIR triggered drug or gene release. Three different kinds of strategies to achieve NIR light-based control over the delivery process are then discussed: photoresponsive nanocarriers, photocaging of bioactive cargos, and photothermal transduction for NIR triggered nanocarriers. The final section reviews current challenges in the use of NIR nanomaterials and potential solutions.