Quote Cart
Artificial intelligence unlocks unprecedented opportunities in video surveillance. From simplifying security to strengthening customer relationships, here are five benefits of tapping into AI.
Key takeaways:
- Security professionals often struggle to keep pace with high volumes of video data, leading to fatigue, missed events, and false alarms.
- With AI-driven analytics, businesses can automate scene understanding, behavior analysis, and anomaly detection. This reduces manual interventions, streamlines security operations, and ensures prompt identification and addressing of critical issues.
- Beyond security, AI-powered video surveillance can help businesses improve customer experience.
The security sector is at a critical juncture. For many years, businesses have relied on a trusted playbook that has guided how they adopt technology, build solutions, and deploy resources.
This legacy playbook needs a rewrite.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is redefining the security landscape and the role of video surveillance equipment as we know it. From more efficient processing units to higher resolution cameras to better sensors, there’s an unprecedented convergence of software and hardware. We now have smarter and faster devices that translate video data into actionable insights in real-time. This presents new opportunities to personalize customer experience and improve threat detection.
Although we’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s possible with AI, it’s clear surveillance practices must keep up. Businesses need to rethink their security operations and embrace smart solutions to stay competitive.
Here’s a deeper look at how AI is changing video surveillance equipment:
1. Better object recognition
Security awareness has evolved tremendously over the years. Today, we know that a simple action like a person leaving a backpack on a sidewalk or bench signals a potential bombing. The problem is that traditional motion detection systems don’t pick up such events. Manually sifting through video data to identify such scenarios is also time-consuming, making it difficult to respond promptly. So automating object detection makes sense.
AI-powered video surveillance equipment identifies objects with remarkable precision. It can classify them according to size, shape, and other predefined parameters. For example, smart cameras can look for protrusions and suspicious bulges that indicate an object contains dangerous items or has been modified. They can also determine whether unattended bags belong to nearby people. These advanced object detection capabilities make AI the ultimate threat detection solution.
2. Higher alert accuracy
Another limitation of traditional video surveillance equipment is that it triggers alerts based on pixel changes. A side effect is that security personnel get inundated with false alerts. While it’s possible to tweak settings to minimize false positives, the process is excruciatingly time-intensive. And there’s often a tradeoff in field of view.
AI delivers better accuracy. It can distinguish between inanimate objects, people, and animals and trigger alerts based on the identified signatures regardless of passing headlights, blowing leaves, or other factors. With a higher alert accuracy, you can focus on your security objectives and expand your field of view as much as needed.
Fewer false positives also allow for more efficient resource allocation. You can deploy fewer people to monitor several locations while maintaining quality. Additionally, you can communicate with troublemakers or trespassers in real-time, and dispatch emergency responders or law enforcement if necessary.
3. Enhanced authentication
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, AI-powered facial recognition technology in video surveillance equipment provides up to 99.97% accuracy. As a result, many forward-thinking businesses use it to augment conventional access control methods such as passwords and key cards.
This provides a more secure authentication process because biometrics can’t be stolen or replicated.
It’s also frictionless. You can whisk visitors through security checkpoints without delay and deliver custom messages like greetings or directions to a meeting based on their ID.
4. Behavior analysis
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) have sparked several debates about privacy in recent years. Understandably, people are concerned that facial recognition technologies are too revealing and could introduce unfair gender and race biases.
Does that mean facial recognition technology has no place in security? We think not. However, the true strength of AI lies in identifying patterns. AI can analyze normal behavior patterns and learn to detect anomalies that suggest a problem, without inferring unnecessary bias or identifying individuals.
For example, customers typically approach the point of sale using a moderate gait. AI can flag behaviors that deviate from established norms and alert security personnel to potential risks and threats. This shift from targeting individuals to anticipating behaviors helps avoid scenarios that invite bias or profiling.
5. Improved customer experience
Beyond helping identify and neutralize bad actors, AI in video surveillance equipment provides many opportunities to drive brand value and customer satisfaction.
For example, you can analyze foot traffic to identify:
- Peak retail hours
- Customer behavior and flow patterns
- Which products customers linger over the most
With these insights, you can reduce wait times by increasing staffing during rush hours or a sudden spike in visitors. Plus, you can identify stranded shoppers in real time and dispatch someone to assist them promptly.
Data from AI-powered surveillance also feeds into marketing strategies. For example, based on traffic patterns, you can redesign layouts and strategically place high-interest items where customers can find them easily. It’s also possible to create targeted promotions. For example, if AI analysis shows a rise in visits to a particular aisle, promoting complementary products in that section can significantly boost sales.
This timely marketing translates into better customer engagement and satisfaction.
Evolve video surveillance equipment capabilities with AI
You have much to gain by migrating to an AI-powered video surveillance system.
To start, you can automate redundant tasks that take up much of the security team's time. The high alert accuracy of these systems also ensures security personnel only investigate real incidents. Additionally, you can take advantage of the advanced authentication and behavior analysis capabilities provided by AI to step up security without compromises. All this while driving brand value and customer satisfaction. So why wait?
Not sure where to start? No problem. The top video surveillance experts provide a range of cutting-edge video surveillance equipment powered by AI. They can help you implement AI in your surveillance ecosystem to reap benefits right away.
Contact us to learn more.
