Launching Wednesday, June 25, Ring is bringing generative AI descriptions to its home security video services. The AI will be available for subscriptions on all existing Ring doorbells and security cams.
We're used to seeing generative AI create conversations with us, like more chatty versions of voice assistants, or whip up pictures or explanations on command. However, this kind of home security AI works a bit differently.
Ring's AI technology can examine its video and compare it with the data it's been trained on to recognize shapes, colors and more. When recognition tech like this works, it can put together a description of what's going on in the video. Google's Gemini, for example, uses similar tech to answer questions about "Where did the kids leave the bicycle?" or "Is the trash out by the driveway?"
Ring's version appears simpler to use in a passive sense -- a boon to users who prefer not to spend time interacting with their home apps. There's little to manage in settings and the descriptions are designed to be succinct and easy to understand at a glance. Instead of sending a traditional phone alert like "Package spotted," Ring's AI will send a longer text saying what it senses is going on.
Ring's AI alerts promise more in-depth info, but how you use them is your choice.
Those descriptions can range from "Two people are looking into a white car in the driveway" to "A dog is chewing on a pillow on a sofa." You don't have to use your Ring camera any differently -- you simply get different types of alerts that may be more helpful when making decisions, like activating your two-way audio.
I'm looking forward to testing this feature and seeing how accurate it is. For now, if you're a Ring Premium subscriber ($20 per month) in the United States or Canada, start looking for updates and the new types of alerts, because they're already rolling out.Â