i-PRO predicts that customisable AI, speedy adopting changes, edge processing on cameras and cybersecurity measures will be key for the physical security industry in 2024.
AI adoption in physical security will increase in 2024. Despite AI-based security cameras’ ability to reliably detect humans and vehicles for some time, the next phase of AI will be irresistible to data-hungry businesses. Cameras today feature AI analytics that enables integrators and end-users to train the camera’s AI to recognize unique objects for tracking and counting. AI training of edge devices can improve accuracy by recognizing logos on vehicles, uniforms, forklifts, strollers, etc.
By leveraging edge processing within security cameras, this new stream of business intelligence data will enable more automated workflows and enhance service quality. For example, AI-based systems will soon detect when people need assistance or notify them when a floor is wet to prevent slipping.
Organizations will be under increased pressure in 2024 to invest in solutions that aren’t obsolete in a short time or that aren’t limited by closed platforms. I-PRO recommends vendors and manufacturers with open platforms collaborate freely with multiple third parties. Equipment should be designed to take advantage of evolutions in AI and analytics without forklift upgrades. It is possible to extend the life of existing equipment by retrofitting, upgrading, and integrating it with new technology in a phased approach and adding new capabilities like AI to non-AI devices.
In 2024, even more power will be brought to the edge. With powerful processors, cameras can process video data at the edge. Soon, edge devices will be able to collaborate and combine their compute resources like racks of servers in the cloud. It will enable much more processing capability without overburdening the network and infrastructure.
In the future, fewer videos will be streamed back to servers for analysis as AI-based analytics are processed in edge devices like cameras. Additionally, edge processing will make cloud-based systems more efficient and less expensive.
AI and its subsets will receive increased scrutiny next year as executive orders and laws are enacted around the globe to reduce infringements of privacy and ownership of personal data. The European Parliament’s Artificial Intelligence Act and the U.S. Blueprint for an A.I. Bill of Rights are early examples of a trend that will impact the security industry. Organizations will need transparency and compliance in the face of legislative changes and best practices that could change quickly. For this reason, it’s crucial to work with vendors and manufacturers who have a proven track record of development with privacy by design and a responsible approach to AI as core tenets.
With so much useful data being harvested with the help of AI, ensuring that private data stays private also requires best-in-class cybersecurity. Video surveillance equipment must support evolving standards like NISTs FIPS 140-2 level 3 and the newer 140-3 standard to ensure the security system doesn’t become an attack vector.
“We anticipate a very busy year in 2024 as more companies mandate upgrades and expansions to security systems around the world,” said Hiroshi (Huey) Sekiguchi, CMO, i-PRO Co., Ltd. “With technology changing so quickly, it’s more important than ever to educate the industry about how these exciting technologies can be used to protect assets and generate revenue, all while complying with privacy regulations and cybersecurity best practices.”