What is AI CCTV? A plain-English guide
AI CCTV is software that watches live camera feeds and recognises defined events, from missing PPE to smoke to intrusion, in real time. Here is how it works, what it costs, and what it means for a business.
The one-sentence version
AI CCTV (also called video analytics) is software that analyses the live feed from ordinary security cameras and raises an alert the moment it recognises a defined risk event, so people can act before, or in the first minutes of, an incident.
The key word is live. Conventional CCTV records everything and is watched by almost no one; footage is typically only reviewed after something has gone wrong. AI CCTV turns the same cameras into an active monitoring system.
How it works, in three steps
- Connect. The software connects to existing cameras over standard network protocols. Most current camera estates are compatible, so there is no rip and replace.
- Analyse. Video is analysed in real time, either on a small on-site device (edge processing, where footage never leaves the premises) or in secure cloud infrastructure. The choice is made per site.
- Alert. When a defined event is recognised, an alert reaches the right people immediately, routed by camera, zone and event type.
The full process, including how data can flow onward to an insurer with the customer's consent, is on our Platform page.
What it can detect
Modern platforms cover more than thirty use cases. They group into five areas:
- Safety and people: PPE compliance, working at height, exclusion zones, machinery and vehicle proximity, slips and obstructions.
- Fire and property perils: fire and smoke detection, escape of water, blocked fire exits, hot works.
- Security: out-of-hours intrusion, perimeter breach, loitering, vehicles in restricted areas.
- Validation: whether declared activity, occupancy and conditions match what is actually on site, which matters for insurance.
- Operations: idle time, bay utilisation, queues and bottlenecks.
The full list, grouped the way an underwriter thinks about risk, is on Use cases. A useful rule of thumb: if you can see it on camera, it can probably be detected.
What it is not
Responsibly deployed AI CCTV is not surveillance of individuals. In the deployments we work with, faces are blurred by default, footage is processed only for the risk use cases agreed in writing, retention and access are set per deployment, and the system reads behaviour and hazards rather than identities. The detail is on Security, privacy and data.
Is it proven?
The analytics are mature technology. The detection engine behind our platform is built by our technology partner, a specialist video analytics company whose published figures cover 400+ projects across 15 countries, more than 4.2 million hazards detected, and a 73% reduction in total recordable incident rate on their industrial deployments. Those are the developer's own published figures, not insurance results; we set out exactly what is proven and what is new on our Proof page.
Where insurance comes in
Because AI CCTV prevents incidents and produces objective risk data, it is increasingly interesting to commercial insurers: fewer and smaller claims, and evidence about a risk that no proposal form can provide. UK insurers already fund prevention technology where it cuts claims, such as leak sensors in home insurance. If that angle is your interest, start with does CCTV reduce business insurance premiums? or the insurer view.
Common questions
Does AI CCTV work with existing cameras?
In most cases, yes. The software connects to nearly all existing cameras over standard network protocols, so there is usually no need to replace anything. Processing runs either on a small on-site device (edge) or through secure cloud infrastructure.
Is AI CCTV the same as facial recognition?
No. The systems described here are built to recognise events and hazards, not people. Faces are blurred by default, and the focus is on what is happening (smoke, water, a missing hard hat, an intrusion), not who is on camera.
What does AI CCTV cost?
Software pricing starts from £15 per camera per month with no upfront fee. Exact pricing is confirmed against the final requirements, as it depends on how the camera streams are processed and the number of use cases being monitored. Hardware for on-site processing, where needed, is additional.
How accurate is AI CCTV detection?
Detection is tuned to each site, with configurable parameters so sensitivity matches the environment, and the AI models are continuously fine-tuned so accuracy improves over time. The goal is alerts relevant enough to be trusted and acted on.