Over the past decade, as AI has become more common in the background, it has become much more common for consumers with smart homes to build smart security systems themselves – rather than having to pay high fees to old-fashioned, established security companies.

Since home security has become much more democratized, you can be sure that AI features will be integrated into these systems as well. In fact, many AI-based features have already started rolling out to home security devices, ensuring that home security systems are more advanced and useful than ever. Here’s a look at some of these most common features and how you can take advantage of them.

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Recognition of objects and people

Object recognition is becoming more and more advanced. In recent years, security companies have integrated better facial recognition into their cameras, ensuring that you always know who is at the door near you. These systems also go further, being able to recognize objects such as packages outside your door, vehicles parked in your driveway, and even suspicious car license plates.

These features have tangible benefits; not only will you be able to know who is at home and, but you will also be able to eliminate false alerts due to the movements of trusted people, ensuring that you only receive notifications when the system detects someone. doesn’t recognize. Systems no longer constantly send notifications just because they detect a tree moving in the breeze. Object recognition ensures that they can filter out movements unrelated to home security.

The majority of smart security cameras offer some form of object or person recognition, especially when it comes to common objects such as packages and people that a camera regularly sees.

Video analyzes and summaries

Security camera analytics can go beyond just detecting objects and people. Video analytics can allow cameras to better recognize when someone might be behaving suspiciously in your home. For example, cameras could identify that someone is carrying a weapon or something they could use to break into your home, then notify you of that behavior. Generative AI will also allow these notifications to be richer and more useful, as it can help systems create summaries of detected activity with details of what the cameras saw.

Google has begun leveraging AI for these analytics and summaries on the Google Home platform, and it’s likely others will follow suit, with Google rolling out the feature more widely across more cameras and systems.

Advanced automations

Smart home automation can be incredibly powerful because it allows you to set up your home to work without you having to do anything. AI will help make these automations easier to set up and run more efficiently, largely through natural language recognition, which will allow you to set up automations with a simple command. For example, you could tell your smart home system to “always lock the door five minutes after I leave.” This could be done without you having to scroll through menus, configure individual devices, etc.

A feature like this is already rolling out as part of Google Home with some Nest devices. It works on Google Home’s Help Me feature, which lets you send text describing the automation you want to set up. The feature is expected to be widely deployed by the end of 2024.

Better voice control

Smart security systems are often controlled by voice commands, allowing you to arm a system or camera using a service like Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. Google announced that it is bringing Gemini-based AI capabilities to the Google Home platform that will allow you to find information about your smart home using the devices you already have set up. The example Google gives is that you could ask Gemini if ​​the kids left their bikes in the driveway, after which Gemini could use a security camera that you might have installed in the driveway to find the answer to that question. . your question. This is another feature introduced by Google and expected to be widely rolled out by the end of 2024.