When AI Becomes Your Security Guard: Reimagining CCTV for the Agentic Age

As discussed in the recent ITNews article “AI is joining the workforce. Is your security strategy ready?”, organisations across Australia and beyond are adopting agentic AI - systems that not only assist but take action. This shift is transforming everything from customer service to fraud detection. But one area often overlooked in this AI-driven evolution is physical security. The question is no longer if AI should be part of your CCTV system, but how you govern, deploy, and integrate it.

1. From Passive Recording to Proactive Protection

Traditional CCTV captured footage for later review. Today’s AI-enhanced CCTV systems go far beyond that. They actively analyse live video feeds, detect anomalies in real time, and trigger alerts based on behaviour - not just motion. For example, modern cameras can distinguish between people, vehicles, animals, and objects, and detect patterns like loitering, tailgating, or crowd build-up. This shift from passive recording to proactive detection means that CCTV is no longer just a forensic tool - it’s a real-time operator, making split-second decisions and initiating responses as incidents unfold.

2. Identity Governance for Humans and Machines

As ITNews notes, one of the most important considerations in this new era is governance of agentic AI systems. In the context of CCTV, that means treating AI tools like any other actor in your security environment. They must have clearly defined access, roles, and responsibilities. Who can access real-time camera feeds? Which analytics modules are permitted to perform facial recognition or behavioural analysis? How is data stored, and who reviews the decisions made by these AI agents? These questions are no longer just for your IT team - they’re central to your physical security strategy.

3. Real-World Examples of Ai-enhanced CCTV in Action

This isn’t a future concept - it’s already happening. In Melbourne, local councils are exploring the use of facial recognition and gait analysis to support urban safety initiatives, governed by clear human rights principles. In Surat, India, the city’s integrated command centre uses thousands of AI-enhanced CCTV cameras to detect civic issues such as potholes, unauthorised dumping, and traffic violations in real time. And following a recent high-profile incident in New York, reports emerged that AI-based video analytics detected a suspect with a visible weapon before a shooting occurred - highlighting both the power and the limitations of relying on AI without fast response processes. These real-world examples demonstrate the importance of pairing AI with strong operational frameworks.

4. Building a Future-Ready CCTV Strategy

To deploy AI-enhanced CCTV successfully, your strategy must address more than just technology. It needs to cover:

• Architecture and Deployment – Decide whether analytics will run at the edge (on the camera or local device) or in the cloud. Edge systems are fast and efficient, while cloud-based models provide scale and centralised oversight.

• Environment-Specific Training – AI must be tuned to your space. What’s normal in a retail environment might be a red flag in a healthcare or transport setting.

• Governance and Policy – Responsible deployment requires privacy-by-design, compliance with surveillance laws, and transparent use of facial recognition or biometric tools.

• Continuous Monitoring and Testing - AI performance must be tracked, refined, and audited regularly. This ensures accuracy doesn’t degrade and ethical boundaries aren’t crossed over time.

5. The Benefits of Ai-enhanced CCTV

There’s a reason AI video analytics is being adopted so widely. It enables:

• Smarter, faster detection – Real-time alerts based on behaviour, not just motion, leading to better incident prevention.

• Dramatically reduced false alarms – AI helps filter out irrelevant motion, reducing wasted responses and operator fatigue.

• Integrated response – Cameras that trigger access control events, notify guards, or escalate to emergency services.

• Scalability and future-proofing – With regular model updates and edge processing, systems can adapt to new threats without major infrastructure changes.

These aren’t just technical benefits - they translate to better safety outcomes, operational savings, and greater confidence for both organisations and the public.

6. Aligning People, Processes, and Technology

Technology is only part of the equation. Operators must be trained to understand AI outputs, and escalation procedures need to reflect the speed and context of AI-generated alerts. Your governance framework should include regular audits, usage logs, and a clear understanding of what decisions AI is making - and what still requires human judgement. The goal is not to replace people, but to enhance decision-making and ensure your security teams are faster, smarter, and better supported.

In Summary

AI is no longer just part of your IT stack - it’s part of your workforce. That includes your security operations.

As physical environments become more complex and risk profiles evolve, traditional CCTV is no longer enough. AI-enhanced video systems offer a smarter, more responsive layer of protection. But with that power comes a new level of responsibility: to deploy, govern, and manage these systems ethically, transparently, and effectively.

As the ITNews article rightly asks: AI is joining the workforce. Is your security strategy ready?