Ring’s AI video descriptions tell you who’s doing what

Here’s a use of artificial intelligence that could be handy. Ring is adding AI-generated text descriptions of alerts. If it works well, a glance will be all it takes to tell whether something requires your attention.

Ring founder Jamie Siminoff gave some examples of the new notifications. “A person is walking up the steps with a black dog” could tell you it’s just the dog walker returning. Or, “Two people are peering into a white car in the driveway” could indicate it’s time to call the fuzz.

Siminoff wrote in a press statement that the descriptions are “intentionally concise.” They only describe the main subject that triggered the motion alert and what they’re doing. The Ring founder hinted that AI features were on the way when he returned to Amazon in April. “We’re just scratching the surface of what we can do with AI — and I look forward to digging into this with the team even more,” he said.

The feature is only available to Ring Home Premium subscribers. That’s the company’s most expensive tier ($20 monthly or $200 annually). Fortunately, you don’t have to buy new hardware to use the feature. It’s available on all currently available Ring doorbells and cameras. Video descriptions are only available in English.

The feature begins rolling out today. Once available, you’ll find the setting to toggle it on in the Ring app.