The 2024 Olympics, scheduled for July 26 through Aug. 11, are expected to attract 13.5 million visitors from around the globe, making it the largest event France has ever organized. A high volume of fans brings about unprecedented security challenges.
What Is AI Video Surveillance?
AI video surveillance uses machine learning algorithms and computer vision to analyze video data in real-time. This enables AI-powered systems to spot patterns and anomalies that human observers might miss.
In fact, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe shared his thoughts on security at this year’s Olympics, emphasizing the importance of keeping fans secure but not making them feel like they are on lockdown. This will be a balancing act, with more than 300,000 people expected to line both banks of the Seine to watch the opening ceremony. The spectators will be joined by 45,000 police, including members of France’s elite special intervention forces, which are trained in counterterrorism.
As event organizers prepare to welcome athletics aficionados from around the globe for the 2024 Summer Olympics, ensuring the safety and security of such a massive gathering will be no small feat. This event is just the beginning. Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and video surveillance technology are set to give event planners the ability to implement scalable, cost-effective security solutions at Olympic-sized events around the world.
Legacy methods of relying on human security personnel to monitor cameras would simply not be feasible, given the immense scale of the Olympics. People alone can’t do it. Cameras alone can’t do it. The answer is a combination of AI and both of the above.
All the Cameras, All the Time
AI is still young, and deploying it at full scale is probably not practical in every event where large crowds gather. Yet the advantage that an AI-powered video surveillance system provides is that the AI can watch all the cameras all the time, rather than having guards watching some of the cameras some of the time.
With AI-powered video surveillance, a small team of operators can effectively monitor activity across thousands of cameras simultaneously, detecting anomalies or threats in real-time. This represents a major change from traditional methods that are limited by human attention spans and fatigue. With AI, security personnel can be directed immediately to emerging issues rather than relying on random patrols.
From a perspective of human values and perception, AI video surveillance can be effectively implemented without infringing on privacy or cultivating an oppressive atmosphere for attendees. As long as proper privacy safeguards are in place, most people will accept a minor loss of privacy in exchange for enhanced safety at massive public events.
Beyond Security: AI for Emergencies
Beyond the Olympics themselves, AI video surveillance can help authorities quickly tend to security or medical emergencies that may arise among the huge crowds at events such as the World Cup 2025, Coachella and other large-scale gatherings around the world.
The technology, though not yet available in Europe, is an example of how standard security cameras can be shared with emergency communications centers, empowering them to give first responders real-time information about what’s happening at the scene of an emergency including incidents like falls, fainting or heart attacks. Sharing camera feeds with emergency communication center professionals can speed up response and improve the outcome of emergencies that may occur at sprawling venues.
While deploying AI at the scale of the Paris Olympics presents logistical challenges, recent technological advances are helping to address them. Solar-powered and 4G-connected security solutions enable rapid, wireless deployment virtually anywhere without relying on fixed network or power infrastructure that may be limited at some large venues. This makes AI video surveillance a much more feasible option.
The ROI for AI-Powered Security
Perhaps most compelling is the cost argument: Return on investment is huge when it comes to using AI for security. Rather than absorbing the massive upfront expense of purchasing hardware for a temporary Olympic deployment, event organizers can take advantage of the flexibility and scalability of cloud-based AI video analytics through a software-as-a-service model.
This flexible approach also prevents a deluge of e-waste as the extraneous hardware is no longer needed. You can deploy it for the few months that you need it and you can deploy it quickly without any issues. This avoids the wastefulness and logistical headaches of procuring, installing and disposing of physical equipment after the fact — scaling up security while shrinking the carbon footprint. It also facilitates seamless deployment for short-term events like the Paris Olympics.
While the Paris Olympics will last just a few weeks, investments in advanced security systems can continue benefiting a city long after the athletes and fans depart. The installation and deployment of large-scale security systems that remain post-event benefit the public who live in the city. Just as Olympic venues like stadiums are converted for public use, the security infrastructure implemented for the event can form the foundation of an ongoing safe city framework.
From ensuring safety amid massive crowds to empowering emergency response, AI-powered video surveillance presents a scalable, cost-effective means of securing events as vast and complex as the Paris Olympics. With continued technological progress, these solutions will only grow more feasible and beneficial for event organizers and communities worldwide.
