If anyone happened to wander off the street into this year’s Securing New Ground conference, held October 17-18 in New York City, they would have been forgiven for thinking they had come to an IT conference — not a physical security one. Co-founded more than 25 years ago by Sandra Jones — who made a surprise post-retirement appearance this year just to check in — SNG bills itself as the “TED Talk of the Security Industry.” The bulk of this year’s focus was dedicated to a technology the industry has been talking about for several years but really took a turn this year following the huge popularity of AI-generated engines such as ChatGPT.

“From a broader sense, the impact of technology into our industry has accelerated dramatically,” said Scott Dunn, senior advisor for strategic initiatives at Axis Communications Inc., and incoming chair for SIA beginning in March 2024. “AI, cloud, cybersecurity — it sounds like we are going to an IT conference. The industry has changed so much in the last decade or so.”