The increase in security measures in educational environments brings new challenges. These include maximizing the benefits of video surveillance and addressing privacy concerns, while keeping the safety of students, faculty, and staff a top priority. Though challenges evolve, technology is evolving too. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is powering a new generation of advanced, highly effective, security systems.

First, it’s crucial to understand what AI is and how it works. Read our blog post about AI basics here. The following are a few of the intelligent video analytics that are being enhanced by AI.

Facial Recognition

Facial recognition has numerous potential applications in a school environment, such as identifying a stranger who is entering the school for the first time. Facial recognition can also discern the people who are permitted in the space. For example, specialized turnstiles integrated with cameras can identify the students who are scheduled to be in the library during a certain class period and grant them access accordingly.

Perimeter Detection

Perimeter detection, the technology behind tripwire and line crossing functionalities, is becoming more precise with AI. Machine learning helps reduce false alarms in scenarios where movement in the frame is not due to an intruder. Once a camera learns how to differentiate actual intruders from harmless distractions such as tree branches moving in the wind, it will only send alerts in the case of actual security events.

People Counting

People counting functions let a camera tally the number of people coming in and out of an entrance. In a small room that has only one entrance/exit, the camera can keep track of how many people are supposed to be in a given location. Likewise, the Area Count function can keep a tally of people in an area within view of the camera. This is an invaluable solution for a continuous headcount in an emergency situation, or when the monitored area exceeds maximum capacity.

Other Considerations

Along with all of these exciting new technological abilities comes a concern that is being raised by many school districts: how can we implement these security measures without making our students and teachers feel like they’re being constantly monitored? For our thoughts on this important matter, read the article written by Steve Wilber, our Training Manager for Dahua USA, on SecurityInfoWatch.

As AI becomes more advanced and continues to gain traction in security applications, users must educate themselves on appropriate uses, the benefits these technologies offer, and how successful integration with existing devices and practices makes surveillance more effective. School campuses, where forward thinking is part of the curriculum, are perhaps an ideal environment for technological education.

Portions of this article originally appeared on SecurityInfoWatch.com.