Ring’s New AI Search Tool Lets You Easily Scan Videos

Ring’s New AI Search Tool Lets You Easily Scan Videos—With Mixed Results

October 11, 2024:

Liz Hamren, the CEO of Amazon’s Ring camera business, often wonders whether her husband remembered to grab the package of frozen goods that is regularly delivered to their home. She could nag him, or she could check the footage from their Ring.

Historically, the latter option required her to tediously swipe through a video timeline in Ring’s app to identify if and when the box was picked up and by whom. But in recent weeks, Hamren has been able to let AI do the searching. She types “package today” into the app and right away can see the clip of her husband completing his duty, assuming he has.

Ring’s new Smart Video Search capability, which the company announced today, is rolling out by November 5 to all of its Home Pro subscribers, who pay $20 monthly or $200 annually. WIRED tested the feature over the past few days. It couldn’t help answer the recurring question in our home: “Did you remember to lock the door?” But searches for “dog pooping,” “gardeners,” and “rollerblading” brought up mostly accurate results.

Hamren, who also oversees three other Amazon home technology units, says Ring blocks searches for content it considers “offensive, inappropriate, or harmful.” She declined to elaborate beyond saying that names of weapons and “qualitative terms about people or situations” are among those barred.

Our searches for terms some may consider sensitive, including “Black,” “turban,” and “gun,” yielded no results despite there being footage matching those descriptions. “Disabled” returned people scooting by in wheelchairs—and mothers pushing strollers. Ring notes it will now block searches for “disabled” due to the risk of misuse.

Still, the search capability marks a big upgrade for Ring, which over the past decade popularized home surveillance through its video doorbells and a growing suite of other security gadgets. The issue has been that millions of Ring users have been stuck with a massive library of footage—potentially up to six month’s worth—with minimal features to easily mine the information within it. Hamren, a former Microsoft and Meta hardware executive who joined in March 2023, wanted to bring users insights without them having to fiddle around too much. AI made that possible.

Ring promotional clip for Smart Video Search

Courtesy of Ring

Ring promotional clip for Smart Video Search

Courtesy of Ring

Hamren’s reign at Ring also has brought a significant shift in the company’s pitch to potential customers. “Tough-on-crime” ads showing suspicious characters disappeared. She pulled back on partnerships with police, which had seen Ring develop tools for users to easily share videos with law enforcement agencies without them having to obtain a warrant.

Ring’s marketing today features adorable footage involving pets and children, and users are encouraged to share whimsical videos to their online communities, not just the serious ones. The focus is no longer on curbing crime but rather on reducing anxiety by allowing customers granular insight into what unfolds in front of the camera.

Source link

tags

Abkhazia Afghanistan Africa Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Fiji Finland France French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guam Guatemala Guinea Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Northern Cyprus Norway Oman Pakistan Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Lucia Samoa San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Uganda UK Ukraine United Arab Emirates Uruguay USA Uzbekistan Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe