Wyze's new AI search digs through security video so you don't have to

If you have ever had to scrub through hours of security camera footage just to figure out which cat knocked over a plant, you know the pain of smart home surveillance.

Now, Wyze is trying to fix that with generative AI.

As first spotted by GeekWire, Wyze is currently testing a new AI search tool for its Cam Unlimited subscribers that lets you search through recorded video footage using plain text keywords, completely skipping the tedious timeline scrolling.

Search your footage like Google

Instead of watching hours of uneventful footage, users can simply type what they are looking for into a search bar.

You can search for straightforward objects like "truck" or "delivery person." But Wyze also supports natural language prompts with more specific context, such as "show me my cat in the backyard" or "woman under an umbrella."

From there, Wyze’s AI scans your recorded clips and pulls up the exact scenes that match your description.

The company admits the tool is still in testing and is far from flawless, warning users that they might get some "wonky results at times."

Right now, access requires a Cam Unlimited subscription, which costs $9.99 per month. Users who pay for the plan can request early access directly on Wyze's website.

The smart home AI race heats up

Wyze is far from the only company turning video archives into searchable databases.

Earlier this month, Google announced that it is bringing its Gemini model to the Google Home app, allowing users to search through Nest camera events using natural language.

Ring is not sitting still either. Ring CEO Liz Hamren recently told GeekWire that the company is currently prepping a similar search feature for its own devices.

That said, Wyze comes with baggage. The company has suffered multiple serious security and privacy lapses over the past few years, which makes handing over camera feeds to cloud AI an uncomfortable proposition for many.

Why it matters

We think this is the most practical use of multimodal AI in smart homes so far. Security cameras have always been great at hoarding footage and terrible at helping you find anything useful.

Turning a passive video archive into an interactive, searchable log makes home cameras dramatically more functional for everyday problems, like tracking down packages or monitoring pets. For existing Cam Unlimited users, it makes the $9.99 monthly fee a lot easier to justify.

However, Wyze’s biggest hurdle will not be recognition accuracy; it will be user trust. Wyze’s history of security blunders means customers will rightly question whether giving an AI system continuous indexing access to their private spaces is worth the convenience.

As Google and Ring roll out similar capabilities, consumer trust and airtight cloud security may end up being the real battleground in smart home surveillance.