Some New Tricks

AI-based cameras have some surprises up their sleeve

  • By Adam Lowenstein
  • Mar 19, 2024

In the constantly evolving world of AI, you can blink and miss an innovation. This rapid pace of evolution means organizations are under increased pressure to invest in solutions that do not become obsolete a short time after they are installed.

For video security in particular, AI evolutions in machine and deep learning are consistently bringing new products and services to help us do a better job of protecting people and assets. Like our smartphones, features and functions can evolve rapidly when we consider AI apps running on edge devices such as a camera. An app-based ecosystem allows for flexible customization, updates and deployment of features tailored exactly to the job at hand.

For this reason, it has never been more important for companies to seek out vendors and manufacturers with open platforms that collaborate freely with multiple third-party manufacturers.

AI has fundamentally changed video security. We have gone from cameras that can sense basic motion, which were prone to false positives from passing shadows or wind-blown trees, to highly accurate human and vehicle detection with descriptive attributes and real-time alerts in just a couple of years. Further evolution has led to cameras that can detect anomalies in a scene (scene change detection) such as a door being left open, or a vehicle left in a no-parking spot beyond a preset time limit. The same analytics can even notify when stock is running low on shelves.

Modern AI cameras have become flexible IoT devices. And like our smartphones, we can now think of them as platforms for hosting specific applications for the unique job required. What will the product designers and engineers think up next?

How about AI cameras that can be trained to recognize custom objects on site? It is even possible for an AI camera to analyze the video of non-AI network cameras, effectively turning them into “new” AI cameras as well.

Customizable AI On-site Learning
While AI-based security cameras have been able to significantly reduce errors by reliably detecting humans and vehicles for some time, this next phase of AI is irresistible to data-hungry businesses. Customizable AI on-site learning enables integrators and end-users to train a camera’s AI analytics on-site to recognize unique objects that are important for a business to track or count—precisely what so many customers have asked for.

On-site AI training can further enhance accuracy by recognizing logos on vehicles or uniforms, counting planes, forklifts, baby strollers or shopping carts. This new stream of business intelligence data, harvested directly using edge processing within security cameras, enables more automated workflows while increasing operational efficiency and enhancing service quality.

For example, operators could teach the camera to count forklifts or shopping carts passing through the camera’s field of view to provide new metrics about operational efficiency. A hospital can count ambulances arriving at the emergency room. The camera can even be taught to recognize a logo on a truck and send out an alert when it arrives at the loading dock. The best AI on-site learning apps can even auto-generate multiple training images at different luminance values saving operators valuable training time while further increasing detection accuracy.

By processing custom data locally on the edge, AI on-site training removes the need to send sensitive data to the cloud for analysis. This is particularly beneficial for industries handling confidential information, such as healthcare or finance, as it reduces the risk of data breaches and ensures compliance with data privacy regulations like GDPR or HIPAA.

Extending a Camera’s Life
It is no secret that AI helps security operators effectively monitor hundreds if not thousands of cameras for events of interest. This is so valuable, that it is easy to imagine a not-too-distant future where every camera includes AI capabilities. Today, there are millions of network cameras installed, and most do not have any AI features. While it is possible to send all those streams to servers for external AI processing, it can be much cheaper, faster and more secure to process some of those non-AI streams using existing AI cameras on the edge.

The most recent AI cameras are powerful enough that they can not only analyze their own video streams but can also analyze and extract valuable AI attributes from traditional cameras that lack AI capabilities. This innovative capability allows customers to add AI features to their existing, non-AI, surveillance cameras, including cameras from different manufacturers, making them smarter, more efficient, and able to trigger real-time alerts.

This cost-effective solution improves existing surveillance systems and further reduces false alarms in a phased approach without requiring forklift upgrades. Network cameras which previously had limited AI integration to popular VMSs like Milestone, Genetec and Video Insight can now pass AI metadata exactly as if they were the latest AI model. This is exceptionally powerful for cameras that may be installed in difficult places to retrofit.

The most powerful AI cameras can currently process up to three additional video streams from non-AI cameras. Doing the math, that is one new AI camera turning three traditional network cameras into AI cameras as well.

A Collection of Apps
In the same way our smartphones run a unique and curated collection of apps, modern AI cameras can be considered as platforms that host custom AI applications for the unique tasks required for any organization. Customizable AI on-site learning enables integrators and end-users to train a camera’s AI analytics on-site to recognize unique objects that are important for a business to track or count such as forklifts, shopping carts, or even airplanes.

The most recent AI cameras are so powerful, that they not only analyze and extract AI metadata from their own video streams but can also analyze and enhance traditional cameras with the same AI capabilities. With the rapid pace of AI evolution, make sure that any future investments in physical security are not obsolete mere days after they are installed. Look for open platforms that promote flexibility and customization — a solution that plays well with others.

This article originally appeared in the March / April 2024 issue of Security Today.

Featured

  • Survey: 60 Percent of Organizations Using AI in IT Infrastructure

    Netwrix, a cybersecurity provider focused on data and identity threats, today announced the release of its annual global 2025 Cybersecurity Trends Report based on a global survey of 2,150 IT and security professionals from 121 countries. It reveals that 60% of organizations are already using artificial intelligence (AI) in their IT infrastructure and 30% are considering implementing AI. Read Now

  • New Research Reveals Global Video Surveillance Industry Perspectives on AI

    Axis Communications, the global industry leader in video surveillance, has released its latest research report, ‘The State of AI in Video Surveillance,’ which explores global industry perspectives on the use of AI in the security industry and beyond. The report reveals current attitudes on AI technologies thanks to in-depth interviews with AI experts from Axis’ global network and a comprehensive survey of more than 5,800 respondents, including distributors, channel partners, and end customers across 68 countries. The resulting insights cover AI integration and the opportunities and challenges that exist with regard to security, safety, business intelligence, and operational efficiency. Read Now

  • SIA Urges Tariff Relief for Security Industry Products

    Today, the Security Industry Association has sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick requesting relief from tariffs for security industry products and asking that the Trump administration formulate a process that allows companies to apply for product-specific exemptions. The security industry is an important segment of the U.S. economy, contributing over $430 billion in total economic impact and supporting over 2.1 million jobs. Read Now

  • Report Shows Cybercriminals Continue Pivot to Stealthier Tactics

    IBM recently released the 2025 X-Force Threat Intelligence Index highlighting that cybercriminals continued to pivot to stealthier tactics, with lower-profile credential theft spiking, while ransomware attacks on enterprises declined. IBM X-Force observed an 84% increase in emails delivering infostealers in 2024 compared to the prior year, a method threat actors relied heavily on to scale identity attacks. Read Now

  • 2025 Security LeadHER Conference Program Announced

    ASIS International and the Security Industry Association (SIA) – the leading membership associations for the security industry – have announced details for the 2025 Security LeadHER conference, a special event dedicated to advancing, connecting and empowering women in the security profession. The third annual Security LeadHER conference will be held Monday, June 9 – Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center in Detroit, Michigan. This carefully crafted program represents a comprehensive professional development opportunity for women in security this year. To view the full lineup at this year’s event, please visit securityleadher.org. Read Now

    • Industry Events
Most   Popular

New Products

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Compact IP Video Intercom

    Viking’s X-205 Series of intercoms provide HD IP video and two-way voice communication - all wrapped up in an attractive compact chassis.

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.