Artificial intelligence is drawing more attention across the physical security industry. In the 2026 Genetec State of Physical Security report, based on input from more than 7,300 security professionals worldwide, AI ranked alongside access control and video surveillance as a key priority for the year ahead. That interest is understandable, as security teams are dealing with growing volumes of video, alarms, sensor data, and incident information. They are looking for practical ways to reduce manual work and speed up investigations.
For physical security leaders, the challenge is separating real value from market noise. Interest in AI is growing, but so are questions about how it should be applied. The same research found that 70% of end-user respondents are concerned about how AI systems are designed and implemented. That is why the focus needs to be on where AI can deliver meaningful value today, and how to adopt it in a way that is responsible and aligned with operational needs.
A practical way to think about AI
As security operations become more data-rich and complex, the value of AI depends on how well it supports the people using it. In physical security, AI is most useful when it helps teams work more efficiently and make better decisions. On its own, AI is a set of development technologies and techniques used to build systems that can learn from data, recognize patterns, and support decision-making. What matters is how those technologies and techniques are applied in the physical security context to provide real operational benefits.
