Security Camera Artificial Intelligence: How AI is Getting Smarter
As more businesses adopt security cameras to deter crime and protect their property, it is becoming increasingly important for these cameras to be able to capture footage and intelligently process it.
This article will explore how AI is changing security and what that means for business owners and consumers alike.
What is Artificial Intelligence in Security Cameras?
Artificial intelligence in security cameras is the ability of a camera to capture footage and analyze that footage and make decisions based on it.
This can include facial recognition, object detection, and tracking.
Human and vehicle detection is common on cameras installed at the typical smart home, but commercial security cameras offer extra features such as license plate recognition (LPR) and behavior analysis.
AI Helps Prevents False Alerts
One of the benefits of security camera AI is that it can help prevent false alerts. False alerts are when a security system goes off for no reason, and they can be both costly and frustrating.
Security cameras without AI can often be triggered by something as simple as a branch moving in the wind, but security cameras with AI can distinguish between true threats and false alarms.
It will ignore trees moving, object shadows, or some rubbish rolling around. But alert owners if it is a human or vehicle.
More expensive models have extra features that can be set to alert when there is a person or car in a specific area instead of flagging every person or car in the scene.
AI Can Help with Investigation
In addition to preventing false alerts, security camera AI can also be helpful in investigations.
When something does happen, security footage can often be used as evidence. The problem is it can be challenging to go through hours or even days of footage to find the right clip.
AI can help owners quickly and easily find the relevant footage. For example, a laptop bag was lost. You could use the keyword “bag” to identify when the AI identified a bag and then watch the footage to see when it disappeared.
Missing Object Detection can detect when an object (like a bag) has been removed from a scene. This can be helpful in cases of theft or vandalism.
AI Can Help With Real-Time Deterrence
Tripwire detection is where you can specify something to happen when someone crosses a line. AI can use this to trigger police-like lights or a siren built into a camera. This can act as a real-time deterrent, often scaring off criminals.
AI Can Be Used as Passive Access Control
One of the more futuristic applications for camera AI is as a form of passive access control.
This is where security cameras with AI can be used to identify people and track them as they move throughout an area, locking or unlocking doors as needed.
Image by Freepik
AI Can Be Used for Safety
The manufacturing environment is an industry that can benefit from AI, as AI can be used to monitor unsafe behavior.
For example, if a worker is getting too close to a machine, the AI security camera can be set up to send them an alert or even shut down the machine.
Or perhaps a worker has been inside a walk-in freezer for too long, and this can trigger a notification to the management or trigger an alarm.
This type of notification can help keep workers safe and prevent accidents.
AI Helps with Security Analysis
Security camera AI can also be used for security analysis.
By analyzing security footage, businesses can better understand what is happening on their property and identify security risks. For example, how many people or vehicles entered the property in a day or how long people spent on the property.
Another example might be that a business sees that they are experiencing more break-ins on Friday nights; they can use this information to beef up security on those days.
Or, if there is a pattern of employees stealing from the company, security cameras with AI can help to identify the employees responsible.
This information can then improve security measures and protect against crime.
Save Recording Space
One of the benefits of AI is that it can help save recording space.
It can help reduce the amount of footage needed to be stored by eliminating the need to store irrelevant footage, such as trees moving.
This is especially helpful for businesses with a large number of security cameras.
Use Human Resources Elsewhere
AI allows businesses not to have a human watching a room full of monitors all day long.
This is especially helpful for businesses with a large number of security cameras.
It would be impractical and expensive to have a security guard watch all the footage from the security cameras.
But, with AI in security cameras, businesses can use AI to monitor activity and then use their human resources elsewhere.
Problems with AI Accuracy
While AI is becoming more and more sophisticated, it is not perfect.
For example, facial recognition software is often inaccurate when identifying people of color. It also may not be able to identify someone if they are wearing a hat or sunglasses.
Things like shadows and reflections can fool object detection. These inaccuracies can lead to false alerts or security risks that go undetected.
When Considering AI Security Cameras
It is essential to be aware of AI’s limitations when buying security cameras.
That said, it is quickly becoming more advanced, and homes and businesses would be wise to adopt it. With the ever-growing threat of crime, security cameras are more important than ever.
Author Bio
Bryce Whitty is a security enthusiast with a mission to help people get the right security system for their goals. He runs a site called ProtectFind, and enjoys nothing more than assisting others in feeling comfortable and safe in their homes and businesses.
Cover Image by Freepik
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