Amazon-owned Ring is rolling out AI-generated video descriptions for its cameras and video doorbells, designed to provide smarter, more descriptive alerts.
Announced on Wednesday, the feature uses AI to generate real-time, concise text descriptions of motion activity. So instead of vague alerts like “motion detected,” users will now get clear descriptive notifications like, “A person is walking up the steps with a black dog” or “Two individuals are looking into a white car parked in the driveway,” as mentioned in a blog post by Jamie Siminoff, founder of Ring and now Amazon’s VP of Home Security.
Currently available in beta for Ring Home Premium subscribers in the U.S. and Canada, Video Descriptions are compatible with all Ring doorbells and cameras.
How does this feature work?
The AI-generated alerts focus solely on the first few seconds of the clip, describing only the main subject that triggered the motion. This helps users quickly decide whether they need to take action, without having to open the app or view the live feed.
“We’ve designed the feature so the descriptions are intentionally concise, allowing you to quickly discern if something needs your attention,” Ring said in a statement.
Siminoff believes this new direction reflects a larger shift for the brand. “Today’s advancements in AI represent something truly extraordinary,” he wrote. “It challenged me to think not just how AI can make Ring better, but to explore how we would build Ring today if we started with AI as the foundation.”
Ring also said that more AI-powered upgrades are on the way. One upcoming feature will intelligently group multiple motion activities happening around the house into a single, streamlined alert, cutting down on notification overload. Another, called custom anomaly alerts, will learn the usual patterns and routines of your property and notify you only when something unusual occurs.
“We are just starting to scratch the surface of AI,” Siminoff added. “It feels like we’re back in the early days of Ring—I see unlimited potential for new experiences we can invent for our neighbors.”
The whole idea behind this update is to reduce alert fatigue while increasing relevance, essentially handing over the heavy lifting of monitoring to Ring’s AI, so users can stay informed without being constantly interrupted.
