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conceivably even explain this to the board enabling you to foster buy-in for what will be a significant
purchase. My hope in the following paragraphs is that you will be better armed to contemplate the
introduction of this sophisticated equipment to your specific niche. We are facing a brave new world with
the introduction of machines some orders of magnitude more capable than Nelson could have imagined in
1974. When he wrote of ‘understanding computers and how might they improve our lot’, it is up to you to
construct the coming exemplar, to be neoteric, and explore this technology to safeguard the populous. We
should no longer be bogged down by technophobia but embrace this era and shape our industry for the
future. You are the key and the driver for this change
I am no luddite nor technophobe. I am engaged. I have bought into the computer age. The AI machines I
have at my disposal are the most up-to-date and sophisticated available. For transparency, I must admit
I would not be without them now. I have put pen to paper because of this. We must as a group of people
follow the words of Frank Cannon CSyP FSyI (The Security Institute, 2023), ‘start the debate and challenge
what is written’. Let’s do this together, we must look past the glossy brochures and contrived neologisms,
that may pander to our need for a deus ex machina intervention. The effective implementation of AI into
your workspace takes the same if not more consideration than required for any of your security demands
or procedures. Your contemporary duties are familiar, you have the knowledge to get the job done. Today,
as you read this article, must become the turning point in how you think about your future operations. What
I want to do inside the membership of The Security Institute is ensure you have the tools to do this. I want
you to read this paper, we are together on this voyage. It’s part of the reason I joined.
So why should you listen to me? I wear several hats as I’m sure most of you do my first hat is that of a
Security Manager in the events space. A job I have been doing for some years now. Prior to this, I worked
with the same title in the oil and gas exploration and production arena mostly across the Sahel. Service in
the Parachute Regiment gave me the pedigree to join the oil industry. My second hat is that of a Doctoral
researcher. My field of expertise and exploration is entitled, ‘AI in operational security technology. A Deus ex
machina Phenomenographic interpretation and taxonomy’. An academic title as I’m sure you know. Simply
put this means I am uncovering the problems that our industry may find in the implementation and future
management of this kit. The questions I am asking boil down to how Security Officers interact and make the
right decisions. How do we train our people to do this? What are the limitations and how can we as a group
overcome them? In writing this for The Security Institute, I am not completely altruistic, my research will
benefit from your sage input, considerations, and concerns. The media seem bent on confusing what AI can
do; they would have you believe the future will see us enslaved by machine masters; the media concentrate
on the apocryphal and sensationalise, then perhaps it is not required nor helpful. My advice would be to
take it all with a pinch of salt. You are leaders in your fields having earned your weathered eye. What we
need to be able to accomplish is, to cut out the noise and focus on how we are to get the best out of the
technology available now, then future-proof our teams and departments. My own experience with analytics,
computer vision, machine learning, neural networks et al is considerable. What I will say is, that correctly
specified and manned AI-enabled equipment is transformative in how we conduct the security of our en-
vironment. It has been and remains a set of formidable tools that we consider as a force multiplier to aug-
ment our human abilities.
AI in CCTV
The inclusion of AI-enabled CCTV in an operational venue has been a quantum leap in how we operate. The
systems I have are not from China, not the cheapest on the market, but worth every penny, they are
modular, expandable, and have a clear logical interface. The machine’s interface, what is on, and how the
screens are laid out, do not form part of my research. I am interested in the interaction of what some are
calling a ‘Humachine or Human in the loop outcome space’.
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