AI, cloud adoption dominate SNG’s vice presidential ‘debate’

NEW YORK—There were no cameras, no network anchors and no fact checking - just two experts discussing two relevant topics related to the video security sector, AI and cloud, during a vice presidential “debate” at the Security Industry Association’s Securing New Ground conference.  

The session, titled “Vice Presidential Debate: Video Sector Market Dynamics,” was moderated by Geoff Kohl, SIA’s senior director of marketing, and featured Tom Cook, executive vice president of sales and operations, Hanwha Vision, and Fredrik Nilsson, vice president of Americas, Axis Communications.  

AI adoption  

Nilsson noted that AI has been a main topic of conversation at Securing New Ground since he started attending in 2003, when it was referred to as video intelligence. He cited two “profound” developments in the evolution of AI over the last two years – deep learning processing at the edge and the launch of Large Language Models from companies such as Open AI. Yet, companies have been slow to adopt the technology in their cameras.  

“We finally have accuracy, native analytics and object detection in the cameras, and it’s much, much easier to install,” he said. “All that said, very, very few cameras use AI today to some extent, but that is changing rapidly.”  

Cook cited the need for AI to be utilized as an open platform to consolidate solutions.  

“I think what we have to talk about is why AI is driving the conversation because people see the variable of the potential of what it could do,” he stated. “From our standpoint what we are looking at and what we have to drive is an open platform - look at AI as an open platform, develop an ecosystem where all of these pieces and all these individual solutions can run on some type of open platform.”  

Cloud transition  

Both panelists discussed how the transition from the hardware space to offering software cloud solutions has impacted their respective companies. Cook pointed out how COVID accelerated the process of offering video cloud solutions, driven by customer requests, but at the same time, he noted that customers need to be educated about the cloud to feel comfortable with how it works.  

“It's complex because it's this term ‘cloud’ that scares half the people,” he said. “People just look at cloud and say, ‘My data is up there? That's scary?’ And they don't realize how it works. It's up to us to put together educational materials through SIA and through our own companies to help make it easier for integrators to sell.”  

Nilsson cited the simplicity of cloud solutions as the driver behind companies and their customers embrace it.  

“It's important for us as an industry to think about why you want to go to cloud first and what are the benefits,” he noted. “And I think the why is simplicity - simplicity to install, simplicity to maintain and simplicity to use. What customer wouldn't like that?”