Page 52 - Security Today, March 2019

Automating Critical Environments
Improving security and efficiency through AI should not be understated
BAy Brent Boekestein
re you tired of hearing about Artificial Intelligence (AI) yet? Did people in the 19th century grow tired of hearing about the wonders of the combustible en- gine, and how it would surely revolutionize modern life... until it actually did? One can imagine that they,
those skeptical of the combustion engine’s positive effects, soon ex- perienced the force-multiplying benefits of traveling from point A to point B more efficiently—and with wind in their hair to boot. The goal of AI is not to replace humans, but to enhance human agency, helping us to accomplish more, better and faster.
While, admittedly, the fervor over AI can be a bit much, but the more reasonable and measurable expectations around improving se- curity, safety and efficiency through AI should not be understated. It strikes me as odd that as we rush to replace traditional vehicles with autonomous ones, there is a reluctance to automate the critical spaces and environments that we find ourselves spending most of our wak- ing time within—work, education, and the various enterprise campus
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or facility settings.
On average, people spend 100 hours a year commuting to and from
work, compared to nearly 2,000 hours spent at work. Is it possible that the way we currently perform important tasks within critical environ- ments will, once AI solutions have been implemented, make about as much sense as choosing to ride horseback from San Jose to San Francisco rather than driving (or being driven there autonomously)?
Where to Begin with AI
As key stakeholders look to implement AI into their workflow, many find that security and safety is a commonsense place to begin. There are three areas currently saturated by humans engaged in manual processes that, when augmented by AI, provide immediate results and quantifiable data from which to further justify large-scale AI- centric deployments. The first, and most visible form is that of a se- curity guard observing streaming security monitors. While the optics of a security guard attentively staring at multiple screens may convey
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
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