Page 80 - Security Today, November/December 2019

CoverStory
Sensing Danger in 2020
AI-powered detection, prevention and privacy
When bullet-proof backpacks are sold out at your local Wal-Mart, you know something must change. Yet many school leaders are left wondering how to begin taking steps to properly ensure greater school safety. While politicians debate gun policy in Washington, innovative school leaders can be proactive and effective today using AI-powered physical security technologies. AI-assisted security can have a real impact on student life safety through better prevention, detection and management – all while balancing privacy concerns.
Before we dive into how AI can help improve safety on our cam- puses, let’s examine how it works. Essentially, AI simulates the human intelligence process in that it acquires information and identifies pat- terns to then appropriately respond. One of the core components of this intelligence is an artificial neural network (ANN). Similar to the human brain’s nervous system, an ANN works with countless, various types of sensors.
AI and Situational Awareness
Human sensors are eyes, ears, nose, skin and tongue. They identify features of the environment – people, things, temperature, light or darkness, moisture, sounds and many other things. As those sensors activate, humans respond. Internal variables adjust, patterns are identi- fied and reactions are formulated. For example, the smell of smoke indicates fire, and the brain sends signals to the body to take appropri- ate action to escape danger.
A more sophisticated example would be how human behavior and, ultimately, a person’s character is assessed. Over time, personality traits are identified and changes in behavior are observed. All of this infor- mation leads to the development of a trust or no-trust relationship.
When it comes to physical security technology today, the artificial neural network sensors can be surveillance cameras, sensors, access control systems, IoT devices, big data, social media plug-ins and human input. As those sensors feed internal variables, the ANN learns and identifies patterns of risk, providing real-time situational awareness to human personnel.
AI may seem like magic, but it is real and it’s available today within innovative security solutions. It can evaluate large amounts of data to identify threats that might otherwise go unnoticed. This fundamen- tally changes the game in physical security and will affect all tradi- tional components of a layered solution.
When AI is integrated into physical security infrastructures, it can help to address the number one threat concerning parents and school districts - and likely number two and three as well: active shooters. This phenomenon is now so prevalent that it can be considered an epidemic. Last year was the deadliest on record for school shootings – at least 83 died or were injured in active-shooter incidents. Since Columbine, at least 228,000 students have been exposed to gun vio- lence at school, according to a study by The Washington Post.
Thankfully, school violence is receiving more of the attention it deserves from innovators and policymakers alike. An estimated 67 percent of districts are currently conducting active shooter exercises; others are designing schools that are built with safety in mind. Recently, lawmakers also proposed a bill to establish a national data- base as a resource for districts to assess, identify, and share informa- tion on school security technology and innovation.
Let’s take a quick look at some of the ways AI can enhance the secu- rity technologies and efforts that every school district, parent and teacher can begin advocating for and implementing going into 2020.
20 campuslifesecurity.com | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019
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