INTERVIEW
The reality of AI in security Security system product marketing has been focusing on AI for a couple of years now, but what is the reality of the technology, who’s using it and why? We caught up with an expert to find out…
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he security sector is very much like the consumer technology market in that it only takes one new development to come along and gain some traction and the whole industry then makes it a focus of its R&D. We saw this with the rush to higher resolution cameras, video doorbells and multi-sensor fire detectors. The latest “big thing” in the sector is AI, already gaining a strong reputation in the consumer market particularly in academia, but what is its role in security? Gerard Figols is the President of i-PRO EMEA, so sits at the top of a business that has seriously invested in AI. In fact, the company recently launched the X-series, a line of cameras that turn non-AI network cameras into AI smart devices. The new range also supports AI onsite learning of custom, user-defined objects with analytics. With support for up to nine AI applications, it is described as the most powerful AI camera to date from i-PRO as well as on the market. Therefore, Gerard is the ideal person for us to quiz about AI:
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EDIT - Interview.indd 2
How has AI driven the direction of the security market? Before AI came into the security sector, we had developed analytics for CCTV but there was always the problem of the accuracy of the data. When you stop and think about it, the security industry is currently in a transformation phase like it was with the move from analogue to IP, the digitalisation of the security industry, when we went from a closed circuit to an open network. That change began in the 2000s and today we are experiencing the same shift with the AI era coming in. What people need to realise is that there are many uses for the information gained from a security camera, beyond security. Cameras are essentially data gathering devices and how you use this information and how beneficial it can be is very much dependent on the accuracy of the data. If the data is not accurate then the analytics cannot do its job. So, what AI is now doing is helping users to have much more accurate data and not just enhancing security but also improving the
Gerard Figols
“Cameras are essentially data gathering devices and how you use this information and how beneficial it can be is very much dependent on the accuracy of the data”
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26/01/2024 16:54:12