While artificial intelligence (AI) has made an impact in a myriad of technology sectors, it is still in its infancy in the physical security industry. AI's ability to simulate the human intelligence process by acquiring and learning certain tasks and behaviors is well suited for some of physical security's redundant tasks. The artificial neural network (ANN) is at the heart of this learning process, as thousands of sensors mimic the human brain by absorbing data and information from its environment, assessing its meaning or threat level through its sensory devices, such as video cameras, access control and secure entrance systems, Internet of Things (IoT)-powered devices, and social media and other big data resources to then coordinate the appropriate response. John Carter, co-founder of a smart security solutions provider, wrote in a SIA Technology Insights newsletter, "No physical security devices have benefited more from AI than physical access control systems. When integrated with an AI-based solution, an access control system can now quickly react to threats and adjust permissions accordingly. Having the ability to identify anomalous events, insider threats, and hazardous situations and dynamically change permissions is a major breakthrough for the physical security world."

ACM athena award recipient Elisa Bertino, a professor at Purdue University and research director of the Cyber Space Security Lab of Purdue's Department of Computer Science, has spent her career trying to ensure the security and integrity of the information that is stored in databases and transmitted over mobile, social, cloud, Internet of Things (IoT), and sensor networks. Here, she talks about how her research interests have evolved and why she's not pessimistic about the future of cybersecurity. You began your research career in the field of databases, first at the Italian National Research Council, and later as a post-doc at IBM's San Jose Research Laboratory. What drew you to security? My original interest in security began at IBM, where I was looking into how to protect the data stored in databases.

SmartRent, which provides smart home automation for property owners, managers, developers, and residents, today announced that it has raised $60 million. CEO Lucas Haldeman said the funding will enable the company's next phase of growth as it expands its portfolio of offerings. According to Statista, revenue from the smart home market is anticipated to climb 18.3% from 2020 to 2023, resulting in market volume of $41 billion within the next three years. But appliances, lighting fixtures, and security cameras are often not user-friendly, which has threatened to impede adoption. A survey conducted by TechSee found that nearly 74% of respondents were "certain" or "very likely" to return a new smart home purchase if they found it difficult to install.

Things are going from bad to worse in the world at the moment. I've been in total lockdown for nearly two weeks, and it looks like you're all about to join me, if you haven't done so already! I don't know about you, but, I'm sick to death of talking about the coronavirus. In a recent investor call, economists at Goldman Sachs said that there currently is no systemic market risk and therefore COVID-19 will not have the same repercussions as the 2008 financial crisis. With that in mind, this column will endeavour to look past the current emergency and think ahead to the positive outcomes that we will see in real estate and proptech in months and years to come.