Artificial intelligence is changing physical security—not by replacing people, but by helping security leaders see more, analyze faster, and respond more effectively. In this episode, Garrett Thomas and Terry MacAdam explore how AI is transforming physical security operations, from reviewing camera feeds and alarms to improving response times and helping organizations manage labor shortages.

They also discuss why today’s security professionals must become stronger technology leaders, with a better understanding of analytics, cybersecurity, and integrated platforms. Just as important, they examine how California’s privacy laws and employee protections will shape responsible AI adoption in the years ahead.

If you want a practical, balanced conversation about where AI fits into physical security—and why human judgment still matters—this episode is for you.

Listen now.

Hi and welcome to the Guardian Way.

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Today we're going to take a little bit

of a different turn on September 3rd.

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We're going to be hosting a webinar

about the impacts of

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AI and security management to that point.

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We put together a series of episodes here

that are going to give our audience,

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in advance of the webinar,

a little bit of information about

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the changing direction of security.

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As AI becomes more and more adopted

and integrated

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into the situation and into the situation

running the business.

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So Garrett Thomas, the founder of Guardian

Protection Force and co-producer

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for our series and obviously very involved

in this whole element of AI.

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Good morning Garrett.

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Good morning.

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You know, I've been saying for a long time

that I see

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two camps in the security community

when it comes to technology in general,

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not just AI, but the ones who believe

that technology will take over

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and man manned

guarding or humans will go away.

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And then the ones

who think that it's all garbage

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and it's the new flash

flashy thing, flash in the pan.

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And now I believe, you know,

there's something in between

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that AI is going to be a tool,

and it's a tool that people are using.

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It's a supplement and it's not completely

replacing everything.

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And it's also a augmentation

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to the current physical security

apparatuses that we use.

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That's perfect.

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Well, great.

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Well, listen, on this first episode

we're going to talk about

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how it's changing the whole premise

around physical security.

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So walk us through these elements,

will you, Garrett.

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Yeah.

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So AI will become every security manager's

assistant.

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You know,

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I believe this to be true

in many industries,

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but definitely

in the security industry as well.

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AI will now analyze

thousands of camera feeds, access control

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events, alarms simultaneously.

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Security managers will spend less time

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monitoring screens and more time

making strategic decisions.

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California organizations

will increasingly rely on AI

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to improve response times

while managing labor shortages.

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Security professionals

must become technology leaders.

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There's a big reluctance to utilize

technology in the security industry.

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Well, that's changing very quickly.

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Future managers will oversee AI systems

as well as personnel.

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Understanding AI, analytics, cybersecurity

and integrated security

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platforms

will become essential leadership skills.

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We will seek leaders who can combine

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human judgment

with AI driven intelligence.

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California

will continue leading AI oversight.

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Privacy laws and employees protections

will heavily influence AI implementation.

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Businesses must ensure

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AI systems remain transparent, ethical,

and legally compliant.

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Security managers will play a key

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role in balancing innovation

with regulatory compliance.

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This is great information.

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This is going to be a great preface

to this.

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Like I said to the webinar

that's coming up on September 3rd.

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So Garrett, as we close out

this particular episode, again, reinforce

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for our audience again,

all the array of services

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that Guardian Protection Force

can provide.

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Yeah, calls for a no fee site assessment.

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We also have workplace violence

prevention, development and compliance

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in the state of California.

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AI camera solutions, guard and patrol

services, armed and unarmed

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security operations plans and assessments,

contentious termination

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services and executive protection.

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Until next time,

stay safe and we'll see you then.