If you have a Netflix® account or an iPhone®, chances are you have already used artificial intelligence (AI) in your home. Netflix uses algorithms to predict shows you will enjoy and creates original shows based on collected data. Siri® on your iPhone uses AI to understand human language and respond to questions or commands, but AI has the power to do much more than just “Call Mom – mobile.”

AI is advancing at an impressive rate and beginning to play a larger role in home security and automation. Let’s find out how it can impact you and your family in the near future.

Home Automation

Geofencing technology already allows home automation functions, such as turning on your lights or thermostat when your smartphone passes a virtual barrier. But, AI presents the opportunity for a home to learn beyond settings. For example, your home could turn lights on automatically based on gestures or movements picked up by ceiling cameras or voice commands.

Amazon’s Alexa® is another AI technology impacting home automation. Alexa’s “brain” can be integrated with other devices that have a speaker and microphone. Integrating Alexa with other technologies makes her smarter, so she can learn new tasks like reading the news or adjusting smart thermostats.

Home Security

Home security is another area ripe for disruption. Facebook uses AI in the form of facial recognition to tag photos of friends with a 97 percent accuracy rate for the 214 million Facebook users in the United States alone. That same deep learning has the potential to work in home security technology to track the comings and goings of houseguests. Just as some phones can categorize a new photo as a cat or a tree, AI paired with security cameras could learn the difference between an intruder and a visitor.

AI powered home security systems can learn a family’s daily routine and identify when an event seems unusual. This is helpful for families who have frequent visitors or travel often, as the home security system reduces the number of false alarms. AI also offers peace of mind to homeowners, because humans have a short attention span, while technology is trained to always be on alert.

Overcoming Concerns

While these innovative tools can be beneficial, turning technology inward is worrisome for some homeowners. Technologies like Alexa are always listening, and some AI cameras are always watching. Fear of hackers breaking into this technology to steal sensitive information and invade privacy tends to be the reason behind slow adoption of these potential opportunities.

As AI makes its way into homes, it’s important to keep safety at the forefront and use trusted providers. While this new technology is exciting, malfunctions could put your family at risk. One AI technology accidentally recognized wrinkles on a shirt as a trusted face to enter a home during a demonstration. Reading reviews, working with a professional installer and testing materials before buying can ensure that you use trusted home security equipment.