Salvador Chavarria Discusses How AI is Being Incorporated Into Surveillance Cameras

Salvador Chavarria
4 min readOct 29, 2021

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One of the many ways businesses and law enforcement can incorporate artificial intelligence, also commonly referred to as AI, into their systems is with surveillance cameras. This article will seek to answer how AI is incorporated into most modern-day surveillance cameras.

Artificial intelligence, according to Salvador Chavarria, itself has been a hotly debated topic for decades now. Many people in the scientific world are still in disagreement about what AI is, and even more people, in general, aren’t quite sure. For this article, Artificial Intelligence will be defined as an attempt to make computers act like humans, including learning by gathering data and making decisions based on that information.

The modern-day surveillance camera can do much more than record footage. It can be connected directly to a central artificial intelligence system that analyzes all recorded footage 24/7 for suspicious activity or known criminals. Once the AI identifies something it deems “suspicious” or “illegal”, it can then alert law enforcement with relevant information such as their current location, name if available, any vehicle they may have been driving, and so on.

Eliminating Human Error & Inefficiency

In addition to the benefits of having an artificial intelligence system monitor all recorded footage, according to Salvador Chavarria, it also has many other benefits that make surveillance cameras even more practical and efficient. For example, the AI can eliminate human error when determining if they should notify someone about a committed crime. Most people can’t watch hours upon hours of footage from multiple cameras before identifying suspicious activity.

By contrast, an artificial intelligence system will have no problem storing and cataloging every single frame to identify criminals or illegal activity. It can easily factor in things such as time, date, location, facial recognition capabilities, etc., which makes it much easier for computers than humans to understand what is supposed to be happening on camera at any given moment.

Enhanced Analytics

Part of what makes surveillance cameras so effective, according to Salvador Chavarria, is that AI can view things that normal humans cannot see. Cameras with artificial intelligence capabilities are even more effective because they can determine what sort of behavior should be considered normal — and not report it as suspicious. For example, a camera positioned to monitor the inside of an office building would likely sound alarms if someone were walking around inside during business hours and looking through people’s desks and lockers.

This activity isn’t necessarily illegal, but by having artificial intelligence capabilities, this particular camera system could identify it as such thanks to its heightened level of analytics. On the flip side, cameras with AI can also determine what might seem like suspicious activity at first glance but is completely harmless.

Self-Learning Capabilities

Artificial intelligence is capable of learning and remembering new things by itself. Suppose a camera captures footage of someone who committed a crime. In that case, according to Salvador Chavarria, the AI could theoretically use facial recognition to identify them and learn their name for future reference. Even if their face isn’t visible, the AI system can still remember their appearance and other pertinent information such as height, weight, body type, hair color, etc. This may make it easier to find the culprit in question later on.

Increased Output Time

Surveillance cameras with artificial intelligence features don’t simply keep an eye on things 24/7 — they also document what’s happening while they aren’t actively watching over anything at all. For example, if a camera that has been recording for several hours detects something it deems suspicious, it can immediately send a text message or email to law enforcement. However, because the AI system had been recording footage for several hours before this moment occurred, that video could then be sent as evidence to support any claims made by law enforcement after reviewing the information they were sent.

These are just a few of the many benefits of surveillance cameras with artificial intelligence capabilities — devices that will only become more powerful and capable over time. As technology continues to advance and evolve at an unprecedented rate, so too does its potential to positively influence virtually every aspect of our lives, from work to entertainment, healthcare to transportation, safety and security measures, to criminal justice systems.

Maximize the Economics of Scale in Your Surveillance Network

Invest in a multi-camera surveillance system and cameras with artificial intelligence capabilities. The former cost will be greatly offset by the money saved through increased efficiency, accuracy, and analytics. And because AI-based systems can automatically handle much of the legwork for you, investing in such devices also saves time and effort that can be used on other beneficial tasks that help grow your business or organization’s profitability.

Look for Patterns Not Just Faces

A surveillance camera with artificial intelligence capabilities can be trained to look for patterns of behavior, not just faces. By doing this, you will better utilize the cameras already in your security network while also mitigating some of the costs associated with acquiring new ones.

Maximize Video Storage

AI systems do not require constant video footage like older models did. A smart system will learn when it is more efficient to send an alert or notification rather than record video and store it for later viewing on a server. This saves money by reducing storage costs and preventing any unnecessary use of energy.

Final Thoughts

Surveillance cameras with artificial intelligence capabilities can replace humans in many ways, giving rise to concerns about human obsolescence.

Indeed, some tasks are not well-suited for machines. However, this advancement brings new possibilities and advantages to enhance our workforces instead of replacing them entirely. By properly utilizing these technologies, your workforce will become more productive than ever before.

Thanks to technological advances, investing in surveillance systems with AI capabilities has never been more important than today. Artificial intelligence is incorporated into surveillance cameras to make them smarter, faster, and more efficient at their jobs.

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Salvador Chavarria
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Entrepreneur located in Austin, Texas.