Artificial Intelligence and Video Surveillance – Part 1

Written By Jamie Vos

What is AI?

There’s a lot of buzz around artificial intelligence (AI), and it can be difficult to grasp its full scope—especially in the context of video surveillance. In this series, I’ll explore what AI means in our industry, what it can do today, how we can apply it to solve real problems, and where it’s headed. The future is here!

Understanding AI in Surveillance

Answering the question “What is AI?” can feel daunting. This post isn’t meant to be an exhaustive study, but rather an introduction to the concept—specifically how AI is used in surveillance, the types of AI involved, and how it differs from traditional analytics.

At its core, AI in surveillance introduces machine learning—a major shift from the traditional, rule-based analytics approach. In the past, analytics were manually crafted by developers and required extensive setup by installers to ensure optimal performance and minimize false alerts.

I remember sitting in a room many years ago, listening to the creator of one of the most advanced analytics systems at the time. They shared how they trained the system to distinguish humans from animals and vehicles. The process involved designing an algorithm to detect human features—arms, legs, torso, etc.—and then renting a large gymnasium, setting up dozens of cameras, and having people walk, run, ride bikes, and stand still. The system was trained by scoring the results. It was brilliant for its time, but incredibly labor-intensive.

The Shift to Machine Learning

Today, we can achieve better results with far less manual effort thanks to machine learning. Instead of hard-coding rules, we provide the system with examples of what we want it to detect. The machine then sifts through data to find similar patterns. While human oversight is still important to refine and reinforce the learning, the system can now improve simply by being exposed to more images.

This leap forward is made possible by advances in computing power—especially through the cloud. As a result, we now have access to far more sophisticated detection, search, and alerting capabilities than ever before.

What’s Next?

In the next article, we’ll dive into what AI can actually do in surveillance today. We’ll explore the types of analytics available, how they’re being applied in real-world scenarios, and what this means for the future of security and operations.

Jamie Vos

With more than three decades in the security industry, Jamie has built a career spanning hands-on technical work and high-level leadership. He began as a locksmith, later expanding into life safety and eventually into electronic and mechanical security solutions. This well-rounded background gives him a unique, practical perspective on keeping people and property safe.

Jamie has served as president of both the Washington State and national Electronic Security Association and was honored with the industry’s highest recognition—the Weinstock Person of the Year award. A respected voice in the field, Jamie is a frequent speaker at national security conferences and continues to advocate for smarter, safer solutions in schools, businesses, and communities

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