5 Cutting-edge AI technologies for video security

Every year seems to be “the Year of AI,” but this time, it seems to be actually true. And the benefits of this incredible new technology can be seen in advances in the video surveillance industry as well. Your video security system can now show off all kinds of bells and whistles, ranging from Smart Video Search to advanced filters and custom alerts. These days your security camera can do more than just watch passively. Here are five ways AI is changing the game. 

Use your words.

In the past, if you wanted to find something on your recorded video, you had to sit there and scrub (fast forward) through every frame to find it. But nowadays,  AI-enabled video management systems (VMS) let you use regular words to identify humans, vehicles, and specific objects. AI algorithms take video at an image level and generate metadata attached to the video: there’s a vehicle here, there’s a person there. This makes it possible to use natural-language search to find specific objects in your footage, just like you would on Google (“person with red shirt” or “black mazda”).  You can even get alerts based on pre-designated events so you don’t have to be staring at the monitor all the time.

Save on support needs.

AI now allows you to filter out the visual noise that may be coming from your perhaps overzealous cameras, so you don’t get an alert every time a paper bag blows by or a cat walks through the parking lot. This could be instrumental in reducing the number of false alarms if you have a large piece of property or lots of vehicles parked outside. With AI filters living in the cloud, you can get rid of 80-90% of those false alarms and help your central monitoring station know when and where to focus. This saves money on support tickets and time that might be wasted pursuing a non-threat.

Cut out the distractions.

Properties with a lot of security cameras can use AI to maintain a small staff of on-site security guards, helping them focus only on the cameras that see movement. With the AI function known as Smart Layouts, self-monitoring is much easier and more efficient. Instead of having to watch 100 cameras, the software highlights only those cameras where meaningful motion is detected. So your security guards are focused on only the cameras where something is actually happening.

Boost your retail business.

Retail businesses can leverage AI to use their surveillance for much more than just ensuring safety and discouraging theft. AI can expand the capabilities of video cameras to help decision makers understand their own business with useful data. AI analytics can provide data-driven insights such as foot traffic patterns and customer counts, peak wait times, and parking occupancy. This data allows businesses to make informed decisions about staffing, training, and operations.

Identify vehicles when they come and go.

AI-powered license plate recognition (LPR) technology is now available for many security systems and has many use cases. This could be invaluable for businesses like car rental agencies that need to know when each and every vehicle is coming and going. It could also send alerts if a disgruntled ex-employee shows up at the workplace. Childcare facilities and schools could use it to confirm who is picking up a child. There are lots of scenarios where LPR could make a big difference.

AI has traveled light-years past what we ever initially imagined and shows no signs of slowing down. With cloud integration, these AI models can learn from a much larger sample set too, meaning they’re going to get even better, faster. From working in human language to managing parking, artificial intelligence is learning from enormous data sets and getting sharper and more advanced every day.

To learn more about the latest AI innovations in the video surveillance industry, consider chatting with one of our AI experts about what our cutting-edge cloud security company has to offer.