In a blog post on June 25, Ring announced that it will bring video descriptions its doorbells and cameras, for customers who are Ring Home Premium subscribers in Canada and the US.
Ring will use generative AI to analyze the video and then provide a written description of the activity in the form of a notification to the user’s device. The main advantage of this is that it reduces the need for them to check their app every time they receive a notification of movement from one of their cameras, and they can decide whether they want to view the video it or not based on the description. This will help the user to save time, and not require them to open the app just to see their cat walk past the camera for the hundredth time that day.
Examples of How Video Descriptions Will Work
Over time, the system will be able to learn a household’s behaviors, and Ring will be able to offer custom anomaly alerts, which will only generate an alert if the cameras detect something unusual happening.
Trust will be a key to user adoption of generative AI being integrated into something as important as their home security system. Ring will need to demonstrate from the start that the video descriptions are accurate if the user is to become more reliant on them, and shift their behavior away from checking what is happening in video is each time they receive an alert. Providing a thumbnail of the video with the notification of the key activity could help with this.
Ring Video Description Smartphone Notification
In the future, there is the opportunity to expand how the AI system works. Facial or object recognition will lead to better implementation of the anomaly alerts. Users could create a more personalized experience, where recognized faces or pets do not trigger alerts for regular behaviors. Additionally, if more serious security breaches are detected, it would be useful if the system could not only provide key alerts, but also take actions on behalf of the user in some way – such as alerting the authorities, sounding an alarm, or some other threat deterrent.
Overall, the integration of generative AI into Ring cameras to provide video descriptions should lead to an enhanced user experience, allowing the user to create personalized notifications, save them time, and crucially, provide greater peace of mind when it comes to their home’s security.
