Ring cameras have come a long way. Since the security camera brand entered the market 11 years ago, its doorbells and video cameras have become vigilant and constantly monitoring patios, porches and entryways around the world. Amazon now owns the company and has helped it weather controversies over privacy concerns, security breaches, vigilante cases and the company’s close relationship with law enforcement. The drama didn’t snail-paced growth; over 10 million rings have been installed, and cameras now cover our urban and suburban landscape, filming the movements of you, your family and any strangers who hang around your door.
This allows you to look through multiple videos if you need to find something crucial, like whether a shipment was delivered or what time your kids left for soccer practice. Thanks to this abundance of footage, Ring cameras and many other consumer products are now gaining some AI-powered features. The Ring software update helps users search for specific moments that their cameras may have captured.
This week, WIRED senior writer Paresh Dave joins the show again to talk about the evolution of Ring — how security cameras have become a near-ubiquitous security technology, and what the future holds now that they’re infused with artificial intelligence.
Show notes
Read Paresh’s story about Ring’s AI updates. Read WIRED’s guides to the best security cameras for indoor and outdoor operate. Read more about all the data Ring collects from its users and why we recently stopped recommending Ring cameras for a few years.
Recommendations
Paresh recommends purchasing TV on the bar a subscription from Dish to watch live sports events. Mike recommends looking for counterfeit security cameras that you can install if your landlord requires you to install a surveillance camera. Lauren recommends streaming shows Nobody wants that AND Killing Eve. Both are on Netflix.
Paresh Dave can be found on social media @bird33. Lauren Goode is @LaurenGoode. Michael Calore is @snack@heads.social. Bling to the main hotline at @Gadget Laboratory. The series is produced by Boone Ashworth (@Booneashworth). Our theme music is by Solar keys.
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