Page 12 - Security Today, April 2020

Forming Real Bonds Fully using technology will help security companies connect with customers
BAy Dave Mayne
rtificial intelligence has been in the headlines a lot recently. It will help save mankind or usher in the robot apocalypse,
depending on which article you read. Security professionals, who have spent the past decade creating connected build- ings and bringing digital devices into the homes of millions of consumers, under-
standably have mixed feelings about AI. One view of artificial intelligence comes from years of innovating in the se- curity business. With the right approach and controls, AI presents an exciting op- portunity for our industry. The use of AI to better solve problems for our customers means we will move from simply protect- ing property to proactively ensuring our customers’ well-being. It means we’ll be able to partner with other industries, such as healthcare, and add a range of services
to what we already offer.
As AI is applied to the data our de-
vices have been collecting for years — and which will only grow in volume over time — we are entering a whole new era for se- curity professionals.
Defining AI
Hollywood screenwriters have depicted AI in countless ways, but what is it really? Ar- tificial intelligence means different things to different industries. To the security in- staller, it should mean a resource that has been at our fingertips for the past 10 years, which we are only now in a good position to leverage.
The industry has spent years deploying cameras and sensors in homes and commer- cial buildings. It’s because of security pro- fessionals that there are at least 10 million “connected” buildings today, with an aver- age of six to eight devices inside each one.
With approximately 100 million sen- sors, cameras and other devices deployed and collecting data across the country, there is a wealth of information at our fingertips. Unlike the tech giants that sell connected-home gadgets, we’re not look- ing to use that information to drive sales of unrelated products. We can use this information to make what we sell already more valuable to our customers.
AI is the layer of analytics that can sit on top of the mountain of data we’re al- ready collected that will allow us to bet- ter anticipate the wishes of our customers. It’s the path to evolve from being a pas- sive system of protection into a proactive helper and enabler. This isn’t Big Brother. AI is about increasing the value we offer to consumers.
How AI Can Broaden
the Definition of Security Artificial intelligence is a series of data- analysis programs we can apply to the video and other information our devices are collecting. But, beyond alerting home- owners to break-ins, why do we want to analyze this information?
The answer is simple: If we use AI pro- grams to analyze the information we’re collecting, we can offer new services while ensuring our customers are even safer. Here are a few basic examples of how this might occur.
Most people are creatures of habit.
Families and businesses adhere to a daily routine, and it doesn’t take long for an AI program to learn when people tend to come and go. There are schedules and normal daily practices. That means AI can learn when you want the lights on, and when you typically lock the doors.
Artificial intelligence is also good at spotting variations from the routine. Plen- ty of consumers and business owners want to know not just if someone has broken into their premises, but if something out of the ordinary has occurred.
A camera capable of recording a break- in is also capable of spotting a suspicious character on your doorstep and alerting you. With AI capabilities, a camera can discern the difference between a harmless deer walking through a backyard and a dangerous intruder.
AI can spot the difference between a nor- mal routine and a variation, and alert the customer. In the case of elder care, that can save a life while enabling independent living.
Imagine a security installer with a cus-
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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
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