Physical AI in the built environment: What happens when more of your technology works together?

By iwGROUP | Author: Matt Wingham, Joint CEO

Physical security technology is changing

As physical AI in the built environment develops, the boundaries between security, operations and wider building technology are beginning to shift.

For years, many of the systems within a building have been considered separately. CCTV monitors one requirement. Access control another. Intercoms manage entry. Audio serves its own purpose. Workplace technology sits somewhere else again.

But as cloud technology, data and AI develop, those boundaries are beginning to change.

That was one of the most interesting themes to emerge from VerkadaOne 2026.

Verkada announced two new product families: 25 new hardware products and devices, and more than 50 software features and AI powered innovations.

The scale of those announcements was significant. Yet beyond the numbers, some of the individual launches show just how much the physical technology environment is changing.

Viewed individually, there are some notable new products.

Viewed together, they tell a much bigger story.

 

Physical security is becoming part of a wider technology environment

One of the clearest developments is the expansion of what can now sit within the same connected environment.

Verkada Transportation, for example, takes physical security beyond the building by bringing video security and fleet management together, combining cameras, GPS location and vehicle information within the same environment.

Verkada Sound Systems introduces cloud managed audio into Command, enabling organisations to manage music and announcements across multiple locations. New Network Speakers can be deployed, while Network Audio Players allow existing third party speakers and audio infrastructure to be connected to the cloud.

That last point is particularly interesting. Technology transformation does not necessarily have to mean replacing everything an organisation already owns.

Other VerkadaOne announcements included the TK74 Touchscreen Intercom, combining video intercom functionality, a seven inch touchscreen and multiple access methods including Face Unlock. There was also a new dual spectrum thermal camera, Verkada Maps for visual device and site management, new AI powered video alerts, plus developments across access control, alarms and workplace technology.

Each addresses a particular requirement.

But the more significant shift comes when we consider what happens when those technologies no longer operate as isolated systems.

 

From individual systems to connected intelligence

Integration is sometimes discussed as though its main benefit is convenience.

One platform. Fewer interfaces. Simpler management.

Those things matter. For an organisation managing multiple buildings or an entire estate, reducing complexity can have considerable operational value.

But integration has the potential to go much further.

When information from different systems can be considered together, an organisation can begin to build a richer picture of what is happening across its physical environment.

A camera provides visual information. Access control provides information around entry and movement. Environmental sensors add another layer of context. Workplace systems can help build a picture of how spaces are being used.

Individually, each system answers particular questions.

Together, they can potentially answer different ones.

That distinction matters because the value of an integrated technology environment should not simply be measured by how many systems can be brought onto one platform.

The more important question is: what does bringing those systems together enable an organisation to understand or do differently?

 

Physical AI in the built environment: what could it mean for organisations?

This is where AI adds another dimension.

Physical AI in the built environment brings artificial intelligence together with information generated by the physical world around us. Within a building or estate, that can include data from cameras, access systems, sensors and other connected technologies.

Rather than technology simply recording an event, the opportunity increasingly lies in helping people find, interpret and act upon relevant information.

One of the more forward looking announcements from VerkadaOne is Catalyst, Verkada’s new Model Context Protocol, or MCP, integration.

Currently in private beta, Catalyst connects Verkada Command with AI platforms including ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, enabling new workflows and ways of interacting with physical security and operational data.

It points towards a different relationship between people, buildings and technology.

The question is no longer simply whether a system can collect information.

It is increasingly about how easily an organisation can turn that information into something useful.

As physical AI in the built environment develops, that could become an increasingly important part of how organisations understand and manage their physical spaces.

 

More technology does not automatically mean a better outcome

There is an important distinction to make here.

The fact that more technologies can be connected does not mean every organisation needs every technology, or that putting everything onto a single platform is automatically the right strategy.

At iwGROUP, we start somewhere else: The requirement.

What does the organisation need to achieve? What risks or operational challenges need to be addressed? How are people using the building? What technology is already in place? Where are the gaps? And where could better integration genuinely create more value?

As Matt Wingham, Joint CEO at iwGROUP, explains:

“At iwGROUP, we don’t start with a platform. We start with the requirement. What does the organisation need to achieve? What’s already there? Where are the gaps? And where could integration create more value?

For some organisations, the answer will increasingly be a unified environment where video, access, intercoms, alarms, sensors, audio, workplace technology and transportation are managed through one cloud based platform.

That means simpler management and better visibility, with information from different systems working together to give a clearer picture of what’s happening across a building, workplace or entire estate.”

This strategy first approach is fundamental to the way we work.

Technology should follow the outcome rather than an organisation being forced to shape its requirements around a predetermined product or platform.

 

Understanding the technology you already have

The launch of Verkada Sound Systems illustrates another principle that matters when organisations are considering technology transformation.

New does not necessarily have to mean replacing everything.

Verkada’s Network Audio Players have been designed to connect existing third party speakers and audio infrastructure to its cloud managed Sound Systems environment.

For organisations with significant investment already tied up in their technology estate, that matters.

Before recommending replacement, we believe it is important to understand what is already there. Is it still fit for purpose? Could it be better integrated? Could optimisation unlock greater value? And where would new technology make a genuine difference?

Sometimes replacement will be the right decision. Sometimes existing infrastructure can continue to play a useful role.

And sometimes the strongest solution will combine the two. Understanding the existing environment therefore has to come before deciding what technology should be added to it.

 

What happens when you apply this thinking across an entire estate?

The implications become particularly interesting at scale.

An organisation operating one building may already have multiple physical technology systems. Across ten, fifty or hundreds of locations, that complexity multiplies.

Different interfaces, suppliers, maintenance arrangements and datasets can make it difficult to establish a consistent picture across an estate.

A more connected approach creates the potential to simplify how technology is managed while making relevant information more accessible across different locations and teams.

Verkada Sound Systems, for example, allows administrators to manage audio across multiple locations through Command, while Transportation extends the environment beyond buildings to vehicles.

This starts to change the conversation from individual building systems towards a broader technology strategy.

Not simply: What does this camera, intercom or sensor do?
But: what could we understand if the right information from across our estate worked together?

 

Integration should create value, not complexity

As technology environments become more sophisticated, there is a risk that sophistication itself becomes the objective.

It shouldn’t.

A well integrated environment should ultimately make things simpler for the people using it, even if considerable intelligence sits behind the scenes.

That could mean making it easier for a security team to investigate an incident. Giving facilities teams better visibility across multiple locations. Helping operational teams understand how physical environments are functioning. Or reducing the number of disconnected systems IT teams need to manage.

This is where the development of physical AI in the built environment becomes particularly interesting. The value isn’t simply in collecting more data or adding more intelligence. It is in making that intelligence useful to the people responsible for running, protecting and improving an organisation.

The technology may be increasingly sophisticated.

The experience of using it shouldn’t have to be.

That is where good technology strategy, design and integration become essential.

 

The platform isn’t the starting point. The outcome is.

The VerkadaOne announcements provide an interesting indication of where physical security and the wider built environment are heading.

Video, access control, intercoms, alarms, sensors, workplace technology, audio and transportation are increasingly capable of operating within a more connected environment. AI is also changing how organisations can interact with and derive insight from the information those systems generate.

For some organisations, a unified platform will create significant advantages.

For others, the right architecture may look different.

The important thing is not to decide the answer before understanding the requirement.

Through iwGROUP’s integrated security technology and iwGUARD services, we look at security as part of the wider technology environment, considering the organisation, its people, its buildings, existing infrastructure and the outcomes it needs to achieve before determining the right approach.

Because the real opportunity isn’t simply connecting more technology.

It’s understanding what becomes possible when the right technology, data and outcomes work together.

For more information about the technology and Verkada developments referenced in this article contact the iwGROUP Team at hello@iw.group