Ring has unveiled a suite of new features in its smart home security offerings, just in time for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. To that end, the company has developed some pretty major innovations in security technology for the home. These improvements provide fire detection, out-of-the-ordinary notifications and built-in conversational AI.
Founded by entrepreneur Jamie Siminoff, Ring became a household name after Amazon purchased the company in 2018. Siminoff, who served as CEO for five years post-acquisition, stepped down in 2023 but remains an influential figure in the company’s strategy. It’s this kind of creative vision that inspired transformative features in his department that improve security and build community trust at the same time.
Perhaps the most vivid new addition though, is Fire Watch. This innovation was born out of a personal tragedy when Siminoff’s garage—where Ring was first developed—was consumed in the Palisades Fires. This new feature sends timely alerts highlighting fire hazards. If these hazards are detected well ahead of time, homeowners will be able to take swift action to protect their properties, loved ones, and livelihoods.
Beyond fire notifications, Ring’s new functionality extends to unusual activity detected by the company’s cameras. Alerts like these are intended to help homeowners stay one step ahead of security risks or unusual activity near their homes. By implementing conversational AI, it ensures more seamless interactions for users with their security systems. It lowers customers’ cognitive load and makes it easier for them to operate their devices.
Siminoff commented on the importance of these innovations, stating, “Turn AI backwards — it’s IA, it’s an intelligent assistant.” He stressed throughout that the focus is making this a more user-friendly, user-intuitive experience. “We keep doing these things together that are making us smarter, and making it so that, for you, there’s less cognitive load,” he added.
And the introduction of facial recognition technology—that’s big news! It increases Ring devices’ capacity to identify pre-known faces and notify you when your doorbell sees a stranger. This feature has raised discussions about privacy and data security. Siminoff reassured users by stating, “Our products will not be on neighbors’ houses if they don’t trust us….There’s no incentive for us to do something that would lose trust with our neighbors in maintaining their privacy.”
Despite stepping down as CEO, Siminoff continues to influence Ring’s direction through new partnerships formed with companies like Flock Safety and Axon. These partnerships mean that law enforcement can request images and videos from Ring users only under certain conditions. These types of initiatives are seen as a more effective and equitable method to improve community safety while addressing privacy issues.
In a notable shift last year, Ring ended its police partnerships that previously allowed law enforcement to request footage directly from Ring owners. This decision is part of an emerging pattern among tech companies to reduce the amount of data shared and respect user privacy and autonomy.
In a recent interview with Technical.ly, Siminoff naturally reflected on the path that brought him and Ring here. I started the business, literally in my garage…I was able to experience all of those things. We then come to Amazon, and I speed up even more — like, full throttle,” he recounted. He exhibits character-shaping determination around the importance of innovation. That’s evident in how he’s steering Ring to the lead of smart home technology.
The addition of new, interactive features is intended to promote relationships within the community as well. One of those new features is the ability for families to be reunited with their lost pet quickly. Their aim is to help one family per day reconnect with their dogs. This new pilot program underscores Ring’s ambition extending beyond security toward fostering connections between residents.
As Ring adds more products and features and increases its power, it needs to work harder to establish that trust in order to keep its users safe. These recent advances indicate a tactical effort to fold new artificial intelligence capabilities into jurisdictions’ day-to-day public safety use cases. Simultaneously, they address important issues related to privacy and data security.
