Ring security cameras get AI smarts to tell you what they are seeing

1 week ago 1

Ring security cameras get AI smarts to tell you what they are seeing

While the rush to AI–ify all the things gets exceedingly silly at times, adding intelligence to Ring security cameras does at least have the potential to be a smart move.

The company has announced a beta version of Video Descriptions, which attempts to describe exactly what doorbell and other security cameras are seeing when notifying you …

Amazon has just made the announcement.

With Video Descriptions, you will see text descriptions of the motion activity your Ring doorbells and cameras see—giving you smart, real-time details on what’s happening.

Once Video Descriptions are enabled, Ring notifications will provide more meaningful information like, “A person is walking up the steps with a black dog,” or “Two people are peering into a white car in the driveway.”

The company promises that the system will not only be smart enough to distinguish important from unimportant events, but will even learn what is normal for your specific home.

We will be adding custom anomaly alerts, which generate alerts only when something happens on your property that is an anomaly to your property. It will learn the routines of your residence, get smarter, and deliver peace of mind by only notifying you when it is something out of the ordinary.

The good news is that the AI–powered features will work with all “currently–available” cameras, though not models no longer sold. The bad news is that you’ll need a Ring Home Premium subscription to get access. It’s also initially limited to the US and Canada.

Video Descriptions is starting to roll out in beta today to Ring Home Premium subscribers in the U.S. and Canada (English only). The feature can be enabled through the Ring app, and works with all currently available Ring doorbells and cameras, so both new and existing Ring neighbors will be able to enjoy the power of Video Descriptions.