AI is one of the most powerful and transformative technologies in video surveillance. Video analytics are changing the rules: human-centric security is rapidly transforming into human-augmented security, where AI filters out the irrelevant and helps teams act with greater precision and speed.
But as Axis report ‘The state of AI in video surveillance’ reveals, containing perspectives from leading AI experts*, the industry acknowledges that over reliance on AI could lead to costly mistakes, false alarms, or overlooked threats. With deployment processes and best practices still evolving, its performance and true value is dependent on quality data, thoughtful and ethical selection of where to use the technology, and human judgement as part of decisions in automation of flows.
The case for clarity
61% of channel partners and end customers surveyed reveal cybersecurity, risk and privacy as one of the most significant trends shaping their industry and operations, and 34% highlight the use of AI and generative AI. While the security industry has a head start in managing the use of AI, that experience comes with a responsibility to ensure that AI is deployed ethically and effectively.
Security providers must generate trust through transparency. Not just by ensuring that AI technology is used properly, but by being open about what it can do, the areas in which it will shine and those in which it might struggle. Any misrepresentation of capabilities or limitations can lead to dangerous blind spots. With the report highlighting the need for partnerships and close collaboration to boost successful integration, honest and open communication is essential.
Designing safer AI systems
Expert interviews in the report highlight the need to offer AI systems greater integration beyond video, particularly in sensitive environments. An undetected security breach or a system failure could lead to severe consequences, and an AI tool that misses the presence of a trespasser or a mechanical malfunction could result in significant harm. The abilities of AI are influenced by the environment in which it operates. It is, in every case, situational.
Clarity about the limitations of AI helps create a good foundation of overall system design and allows businesses to construct more effective security solutions by avoiding flawed assumptions about AI’s capabilities. By combining additional sensory data – adding inputs such as audio or integrating contextual environmental factors – surveillance systems can benefit from situational awareness and generate deeper, more actionable insights.
AI with ethics at its core
Ethical considerations are a highlight of the report; experts commonly mention the importance of embedding responsible AI practices early in the development process, particularly as technologies like facial recognition gain global traction. It is imperative that vendors, integrators and manufacturers exhibit the discretion to work with only partners that align with their responsible principles on AI use.
As the Axis report suggests, the world is moving towards a hybrid model for security – a mix of on-prem, cloud, and edge computing. But that hybrid model must necessarily include human insight; AI’s training data and difficulty with environmental fluctuations give even the sharpest models inherent bias, so it must always be a human that makes the final decision.
Shaping a trustworthy future
The pace of AI innovation makes it difficult to predict what security technology will look like in the coming years. But the findings of the Axis report make clear that whatever future we reach must be built on a foundation of responsible, ethical AI development and deployment.
Confidence creates competitive advantage. As a company, Axis has long been committed to earning credibility through action, and we believe that AI, like all technologies, should leverage and augment human intelligence, not replace it. It should build on a respect for human rights, not erode it. AI should benefit people and society. The vendors, designers, installers and users which demonstrate such a commitment today will be the ones trusted in the future. They are the ones that will lead the industry forward towards a smarter, safer world.
