CHELMSFORD, Mass. — Global video surveillance provider Axis Communications has released its latest research report, “The State of AI in Video Surveillance,” which explores global industry perspectives on the use of artificial intelligence in the security industry and beyond.
The report “reveals current attitudes on AI technologies thanks to in-depth interviews with AI experts from Axis’ global network and a comprehensive survey of more than 5,800 respondents, including distributors, channel partners and end customers across 68 countries,” according to the company announcement.
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The resulting insights “cover AI integration and the opportunities and challenges that exist with regard to security, safety, business intelligence and operational efficiency,” the announcement says.
“AI remains one of the most powerful and transformative technologies within the video surveillance industry today,” says Mats Thulin, director, AI and analytics solutions, at Axis Communications.
“This new research reveals that while there are significant opportunities for AI to improve safety and security alongside business intelligence and operational efficiency, there must be a focus on ethical implementation and meaningful integrations to drive continuous value,” he says.
AI’s Impact on Partners and End Customers
Axis’ research found that 62% of partners identify “AI and generative AI” as one of the most significant trends shaping the industry’s future, compared to 34% of end customers. This positions AI as the top trend for partner businesses—tied with “cybersecurity, risk, and privacy,” which also garnered 62%.
Among end customers, however, AI ranks third, with “cybersecurity, risk and privacy” leading at 61%. Additionally, half of partner respondents highlighted “analytics and actionable insights” as a key trend, while 36% of end customers agree.
Overall, the focus on AI and analytics “signals a growing industry understanding of the many benefits of AI adoption, including greater efficiency, improved decision-making and enhanced output quality,” according to the Axis Communications announcement.
However, end customers consider cybersecurity, risk and privacy to be “a higher priority when it comes to technology integration, which likely signals ongoing ethical and compliance-related concerns surrounding AI,” the announcement says.
“Trust, responsibility and accountability will be critical if providers hope to lead customers toward greater AI integration,” according to the Axis Communications announcement.
Top Trends and Opportunities
- AI adoption surges – with inconsistencies between markets: AI adoption appears to be more advanced in certain markets like the US, Japan, Singapore, and certain parts of Europe, where customers are actively seeking AI solutions to improve surveillance capabilities and operational efficiency.
- The transition to cloud and edge AI continues to accelerate: Hybrid architectures are emerging as the preferred approach by many, combining the immediate processing capabilities of edge AI on cameras with the scalability and long-term data storage of the cloud.
- The integration of diverse data sources persists: Integrating additional sensory data to complement video data will continue, making an ongoing impact on safety and security while elevating business intelligence capabilities.
- Close partnership and collaboration help with effective, responsible AI integration: The ethical challenges associated with the rapid deployment of AI technologies, including solutions like facial recognition, underscore the importance of choosing the right partners with aligned values—especially in areas like privacy, compliance, and view on AI ethics.
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“The State of AI in Video Surveillance” report combines insights from 11 interviews with experts from Axis’ global partner network. Complementing the interview findings are 4,900 survey responses from distributors and channel partners in 68 countries and 900 survey responses from end customers in 64 countries.
This article was originally published by CS sister publication Security Sales & Integration.
