AI in Security and Psychology

Emerging Technology Tools Must Account for Human Factors

Artificial intelligence (AI) is now a part of our daily lives, and how we respond to such technological changes is based largely on psychology and personal experiences, both good and bad. As we examine the impact of AI, it is important to understand how an individual’s psychology can shape their views.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a new set of issues concerning technology, data privacy and AI. Many organizations have software for reporting and analyzing data and, after a security incident occurs, it is important to conduct this analysis and use AI to try to prevent it from happening again.

This article will explore examples of utilizing security measures in operations, inventory, personnel and safety.

Remote Work Impacts

With various new technologies available, organizations can now hire the best people, no matter where they live, rather than having to limit the applicant pool to a certain radius from the office. Technology has allowed organizations to extend their customer reach around the globe, as well. As security industry professionals, we have a responsibility to our customers to ensure that their technology functions correctly. We all know that technology is great when it works and frustrating when it doesn’t, which leads us to the question of whether technology is an asset or a liability for an organization. The technology that an organization uses to protect employees, customers and assets can impact the organizational culture and the level of job satisfaction.

During the pandemic, people were forced to adjust their work locations and utilize technology that they previously might not have used to perform their jobs. As workers return to the office, some people are thankful, while others are upset. A person’s level of job satisfaction can be linked to how well the technology that has been implemented allows the individual to perform his or her job. When utilizing data from a security system, it is important to assess the user experience and feedback before creating AI models for future situations.

Employee Surveys

Employee surveys can be useful to organizations if the data is properly collected and analyzed. When deploying AI, it is important to use the correct statistical analysis tools to ensure that the results are actually related to what is being measured. Many places conduct an annual employee survey and announce that the ratings are higher or lower than the year before. It is important, however, to analyze the data properly to see if there is another factor that might have influenced the results. For example, if you have employees who are on a fixed schedule and you notice that a manager is editing timecard start or stop times, it is important to assess why this is occurring.

Some organizations require employees to clock in once they arrive at the first job site, while others require workers to log their hours immediately upon leaving for the day. In both situations, the process could ultimately affect a person’s performance level based on their psychological evaluation of the condition. Additionally, bad traffic or a near-accident while driving to work could potentially lower their productivity for the day. There are many such ways in which psychology can influence the data that is being analyzed.

Practical Applications

Within access control, integrations can be done for operations management related to employee time recording based on GPS units in vehicles. This can serve as a time-tracking system to help alleviate the problem of hours not being recorded as required. Additionally, from a safety management perspective, AI can identify driving trends for each vehicle and/or driver.

Depending on the department or setting, data can be collected through various methods and utilized to help the organization’s decision-making concerning financial and strategic goals. Another possible use of AI is for inventory management, so that, for example, alerts are automatically triggered or orders placed when the stock of items reaches certain levels. Within the security industry, high-value items need to be tracked to ensure that they make it to the correct job site without being stolen or misplaced. Tracking devices enable a company to know the exact location of an item. Some people are even starting to attach these devices to their suitcases when they fly.

In a retail or service setting such as a bank or hospital, AI can help with personnel management by analyzing video surveillance and access control to determine the peak level of activity for employees and customers. Automatically generated data can lead to insights regarding potential process improvements to ensure that security and other departments are functioning optimally.

Conclusion

AI is a valuable tool but it still needs human intervention, whether on the frontend, setting up the algorithms, on the backend, providing recommendations for organizations to implement, or both. Individual psychology affects how all technology is analyzed and utilized. When assessing security, organizations must connect the dots between the data to understand the full picture of what is taking place.