Agentic AI tools will be able to power a security operator's entire workflow, enabling them to focus on their highest-value work: Artificial intelligence is already redefining what it means to secure the physical world. Tools to date have been focused primarily on speeding up investigations, and while that is incredibly valuable, it's really just the start of what AI can do. As AI models become more capable and intuitive, they’ll transform physical security into a proactive, intelligent discipline that helps teams detect and deter incidents before they escalate, not just respond after the fact. In the year ahead, we’ll see AI quickly become an active partner to security operators. Natural language interfaces will make complex searches and investigations conversational. Predictive analytics will surface anomalies and trigger deterrence measures automatically before they need human intervention. All of this will free security professionals to focus on their highest-value work and create safer buildings, campuses, and communities around the world. — Babak Behzad, Head of AI at Verkada
The rise of AI-generated video will force organizations to verify what’s real. As generative AI models grow more sophisticated, distinguishing authentic security footage from fabricated clips will become increasingly difficult – and increasingly important. Deepfakes that once took hours to produce can now be generated in minutes, making it easy to create convincing yet entirely false video evidence. This shift will have major implications for security teams that rely on video footage to make critical decisions. From insurance claims and workplace investigations to law enforcement reviews, the ability to authenticate video content will soon be a prerequisite for trust. Expect verification tools – those that can confirm whether footage has been altered or AI-generated – and processes to become standard across enterprise security. — Babak Behzad, Head of AI at Verkada
Biometrics will become the next mainstream access credential. While fingerprints, facial recognition, and iris scans have long been used in high-security environments like airports, advances in cloud-based access control and identity management are making biometrics far easier to deploy at scale. Consumers already use biometrics every day to unlock their phones or verify purchases, but enterprise adoption has lagged due to management complexity. As organisations look for secure, frictionless ways to manage identity, biometrics offer convenience and assurance – no badges to lose, passwords to forget, or phones to carry. As biometric identities become easier to manage within unified access control systems, they will move from specialized deployments to everyday use, redefining how organisations think about secure, seamless access. — Jake Leichtling, Senior Director of Access Control at Verkada
Security decision-makers are rapidly evolving. As security technologies become more integrated and valuable across organisations, we expect more decision-makers will be involved in the buying process – including groups like IT, HR, and operations. Organisations will need partners who understand how security fits into these broader business ecosystems and can communicate how modern security solutions can facilitate smoother operations, improve visitor management, and provide actionable data insights that inform business decisions beyond security. — Micah Deriso, Global Head of Channel at Verkada
