Gulf Construction Online - Technology trends to watch for in sector

Safety & Security

Video surveillance will be increasingly used both for safety and security requirements.

Technology trends to watch for in sector

The security sector is poised for rapid change with the use of large language models (LLMs) and generative AI gaining popularity. JOHAN PAULSSON, CTO at Axis Communications, elaborates on this and other key trends he anticipates in the sector.

01 January 2024

The pace of change in the technology sector over the past 12 months has been extraordinary, even for those of us who have been working in the industry for decades.

There is no doubt that technological innovations are bringing both huge opportunities and more complex challenges than we’ve faced before, and they show no sign of slowing down. Keeping pace with the changes and their implications – for vendors, customers, and regulators – demands focus, energy, and diligence.

The key technological trends that we see affecting the security sector in 2024 reflect this rapidly evolving environment. As ever, they’re a mix of positive opportunities to be grasped, alongside the challenges that need to be addressed.

The potential for generative AI in the security sector

Posts on previous technology trends have highlighted the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning in the security sector, with a particular focus on advanced analytics on the edge of the network, in cameras themselves.

This proliferation of deep learning to the edge is accelerating. Virtually any new network camera being launched features deep learning capabilities, which vastly improve the accuracy of analytics. These capabilities are the foundation for building scalable cloud solutions as they remove such heavy bandwidth requirements, reduce processing in the cloud, and make the system more reliable.

However, in terms of AI, 2023 was the year where large language models (LLMs) as the basis for generative AI have forced their way into public consciousness. This form of AI supports the creation of new content – words, images and even video – based on natural language prompts and questions from users.

Paulsson, CTO at Axis Communications

Every business is looking at the potential use case for generative AI, and the security sector is no different. In 2024, we will see security-focused applications appear based on the use of LLMs and generative AI. These will likely include assistants for operators, helping them more accurately and efficiently interpret what is happening in a scene, and as interactive customer support, providing more useful and actionable responses to queries from customers. In addition, generative AI has already proven its value in software development, and this will be a benefit seen throughout the security sector.

We do, of course, need to be aware of the risks and potential pitfalls of generative AI. There will be debates over which models to employ and how, and particularly around the use of open-source versus proprietary models, but the biggest risk will be to ignore it.

Solution management efficiencies driving hybrid architecture

Hybrid solution architectures – those employing the advantages of on premise, cloud, and edge technologies – are now established as the new standard in many security solutions. Functionalities are deployed where it is most efficient, utilising the best of each instance in a system, adding an increased level of flexibility. Ultimately, system architectures should be in service to the customer’s needs, not the vendor’s preferred structure.

To a great extent, it’s a question of accessibility. The more a solution exists in shared environments, the more readily vendors can manage its elements, enabling them to take a greater responsibility and reducing the burden on customers.

Hybrid architectures also support the forthcoming use cases for AI support and automation in solution management and operation – increased system accessibility being valuable to both human support and that from AI, taking advantage of each different instance’s strengths.

Security always, but safety too

Security and safety have often been connected as a single subject. Increasingly, they are being recognised as separate use cases: security being related to preventing intentional acts – break-ins, vandalism, aggression towards people, etc – and safety related to the unintentional dangers and incidents that can cause harm to people, property, and the environment.

For a number of reasons, the use of video surveillance and analytics in safety use cases is growing fast and will continue to do so.

One reason, unfortunately, is climate change. With extreme weather conditions causing floods, wildfires, landslides, avalanches, and more, video surveillance, environmental sensors, and analytics will be increasingly used by authorities to give early warning of potential disasters and support the most rapid and effective response.

Risk management, compliance to health and safety directives, and regulatory requirements is another key reason for the continued growth in safety-related use cases. Video surveillance will be used extensively within organisations to ensure adherence to health and safety (H&S) policies and safe working practices, such as the wearing of required personal protective equipment (PPE). Where incidents do take place, video surveillance will be an increasingly useful and important tool in investigations.

Security as a use case for surveillance is well-established. Safety will continue to evolve.

Regulation & compliance driving technology

Speaking of compliance, the global regulatory environment is having an increasing impact on the development of technology, its application, and use. Compliance with these is something that vendors and end-users need to be aware of and should be looking to work in close partnership to ensure.

AI, cybersecurity, sustainability and corporate governance – all are areas coming under greater regulatory scrutiny. Vendors need to develop their own technologies and operate their own businesses in ways that support their customers’ compliance requirements.

Increasingly, the regulatory landscape covers more than the specific development and use of technology itself.

Geopolitics and trade relations between nation states are also leading to regulations that demand transparency to a component level if vendors want to maintain a licence to operate in key international markets.

It’s a constantly evolving and changing area, and one which requires constant diligence, development, and transparency throughout the value chain. For users of security technology, it’s a question of trust. Can they be sure that every link in their supply chain is operating in a way that supports their own regulatory compliance?

Taking the ‘total system’ perspective

The impact of every aspect of a security system will be under increased scrutiny, with vendors and customers needing to monitor, measure and, increasingly, report on a broad range of factors. Taking a total system perspective will be essential.

Energy consumption is a good example. A video camera itself consumes a relatively small amount of energy. But when also considering the servers, switches, hubs, and routers through which the data is transferred, sitting in large data centres that require cooling, the picture changes.

This total system perspective is useful and should be welcomed by the industry. It will lead to innovations in new technologies and cameras that bring benefits throughout the system, not in isolation. Cameras that reduce bitrate, storage, and server load with the intention of reducing server cooling requirements are a good example. More efficient transportation of products, sustainable packaging, and the use of standard components can all also play a part. Visibility and greater control across the supply chain is essential.

We all accept that total cost of ownership (TCO) is an important measure, but security vendors will increasingly need to consider (and be transparent about) total impact of ownership, taking non-financial aspects into account, including environmental and societal. It will no longer be possible for vendors to operate in isolation of their own and their customers’ value chains.

We have no doubt that 2024 will see further advancements in technology, and with that bring further challenges for us all to navigate.