Flock Backlash Isn't Slowing Real Estate's AI-Driven Surveillance Boom
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
| Flock Backlash Isn't Slowing Real Estate's AI-Driven Surveillance Boom |
| Published Wednesday, September 23, 2026 11:00 am |
This is a summary
"Local governments around the country are in the midst of a debate around privacy and security as their contracts with surveillance provider Flock Safety face scrutiny.
But for all the hand-wringing in the public sector, the private world of commercial real estate is brimming with a growing menu of artificial intelligence-driven video surveillance solutions.
A mature ecosystem of vendors already exists in the private world that has for decades offered surveillance solutions and is now growing increasingly powerful as tech advances.
The firms have made their customers’ ownership of their data a key selling point to combat growing pushback against the integrated surveillance networks that are being built and deployed. "
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Flock Backlash Isn't Slowing Real Estate's AI-Driven Surveillance Boom | Bisnow
Image credit to Alan J. Hendry on Unsplash
Artificial intelligence-driven surveillance is rapidly expanding across the commercial real estate sector despite facing growing public scrutiny and privacy concerns, with property owners and managers increasingly deploying advanced camera systems and analytics to monitor tenant safety and secure buildings. These sophisticated tools can automatically detect suspicious behavior, unauthorized entry, and potential security threats in real time, significantly reducing the need for constant human monitoring by security personnel and lowering operating costs. Companies like Cloudastructure and Flock Safety are securing major contracts with real estate investment firms, with Cloudastructure recently landing its largest deal to provide exclusive surveillance solutions for a luxury high-rise property in Houston, including 24/7 remote guarding software, smart surveillance cameras, and integrated cloud platforms. Industry advocates argue these technologies are essential for modern risk management, though privacy concerns persist as biometric data collection and omnipresent video surveillance trigger regulatory scrutiny and civil liberties questions.
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