A delivery man approaches your front door carrying a box. He rings the front doorbell. You are not home, but a voice greets the visitor: “You can leave the box on the front porch please.”
It’s not your voice, but it has an Australian accent. A camera has detected who is standing there and the voice is initially friendly. But if the delivery man gets a bit uppity, then the tone of the voice may change.
The voice is generated by artificial intelligence, and it’s part of a new piece of kit from Australian do-it-yourself home security company Swann.
SwannShield is described as “the world’s first AI-powered home security voice assistant”, and it’s compatible with the SwannBuddy4K Video Doorbell, and free within the Swann Security App.
The company says SwannShield engages with visitors in real-time across different scenarios.
“SwannShield uses the latest adaptive generative AI technology and user instructions to respond to visitors with natural, realistic, human-like interactions when they press the doorbell.
“When activated, homeowners can benefit from the first smart doorbell complete with an AI voice assistant that can speak to visitors or intruders for you with a realistic voice in an Australian accent.”
The voice can switch between polite, disinterested and aggressive.
But what about conversations that veer off track?
Swann says SwannShield “can effectively manage conversational exchanges across various scenarios. Its response accuracy and resilience safeguards against unanticipated interactions and adversarial requests”.
It says it has been built to accommodate “updates and future scalability and will allow Swann to personalise settings, like defining the AI’s personality”.
You can access transcripts of every conversation in the security app.
Alex Talevski, CEO of Swann, hopes the integration of AI will bring “enhanced protection and peace of mind”, and is part of the “democratisation of AI for everyday consumers”.
