As adoption grows, industry leaders acknowledge that its real potential, along with its risks, is still unfolding.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the access control industry, promising smarter and more autonomous security systems. From biometric authentication at the edge to voice-driven analytics and agentic intelligence, vendors and integrators are racing to incorporate machine learning into security workflows.
But even as adoption grows, industry leaders acknowledge that its real potential, along with its risks, is still unfolding.
In a market historically dominated by badge readers and mechanical locks, access control systems are now gaining technology-powered capabilities to interpret behavior, automate insights, and detect anomalies. This evolution is influencing everything from how doors are unlocked to how organizations analyze threats across large facilities.
“Artificial intelligence of all kinds is making access control systems faster and smarter,” said Jeffrey Groom and Adam Groom, AI Development team leads at ACRE security and co-founders of REKS.ai. “Generative AI models, in particular, make access control systems more fluid and responsive by allowing security teams to obtain critical insights from their platforms using unique verbal operational terms and language.”
For instance, a user might say, “Show me all the access denied events across our infrastructure for the last month,” and get an instant, comprehensive report. “Putting these insights within arm's reach at any moment using natural language allows security teams to learn from user behavior, detect unusual patterns, and enhance security where anomalies and access failures are most common,” Groom added.
AI meets the door: Edge computing and speed
While cloud-based generative models like GPT are gaining popularity in analytics and decision support, edge computing built directly into devices is transforming the front lines of physical security. Suprema, a Korea-based global access control manufacturer, is one of the companies the forefront of this shift.
“All of Suprema’s latest edge AI devices incorporate Neural Processing Units (NPUs) to maximize on-device AI performance,” said CEO Hanchul Kim. “NPUs process AI workloads faster while consuming less power, making them ideal for edge device applications.”
Suprema's systems are designed to handle authentication and analytics directly on the reader or controller, eliminating delays and reducing infrastructure needs.
“Suprema’s edge AI technology is able to create lightweight AI engines that efficiently handle vast datasets while preventing overheating and hardware slowdowns,” Kim said. “By integrating advanced NPUs, Suprema delivers biometric authentication directly at the edge—faster and more accurately.”
According to Kim, door-unlock latency is unaffected whether systems use traditional power sources or Power over Ethernet (PoE+). “Most Suprema devices support PoE+, but there is no difference in door-unlock latency between using a standard power supply and PoE,” he confirmed.
Automating insight: From tailgating to false positives
Suprema has focused its development on behavior-based threat detection at the edge. Its on-device algorithm includes capabilities such as people counting, loitering detection, fall detection, and tailgating prevention.
“Suprema’s proprietary on-device AI algorithm…detects threats through abnormal behavior analysis,” Kim said. “Moreover, it enables advanced security monitoring, such as people counting, tailgating detection, blacklist detection, and missing person tracking.”
The module is available in both embedded and add-on formats, allowing integrators to scale features according to site requirements.
ACRE’s Groom sees similar potential in future deployments but notes the current stage is still exploratory. “Although AI has been the talk of the security industry for many years already, we've only just scratched the surface of how we can leverage it to revolutionize security and other workflows for end users,” they said.
The benefits of these technologies extend beyond real-time decisions to improving the day-to-day efficiency of security teams. “AI can automate the process, allowing [teams] to trim the fat from their day-to-day operations to focus on keeping critical environments safe,” Groom added. “Historically, security teams had to manually search for the insights they needed.”
Where trust and transparency lag behind
Despite the promise, both companies agree that trust remains a barrier. Reliability, consistency, and explainability are central concerns, especially in high-stakes environments like healthcare, education, and critical infrastructure.
“For AI to be considered truly reliable, it must be transparent, accurate, and consistent in how it affects organizations,” said Groom. “That means minimizing false positives, like denying access to someone who should be allowed, and false negatives, such as letting in someone who shouldn't.”
Suprema addresses this through safeguards in its firmware and model update process. “If any issue occurs during a firmware update—such as a power interruption or a corrupted file—the device will automatically revert to the previous stable version,” Kim said. “This feature allows customers to confidently perform remote updates, preventing system downtime and protecting against potential malfunctions.”
Data governance and compliance
As biometric systems become more pervasive, regulators are demanding stronger compliance. The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the recently passed AI Act both impose strict requirements on data storage, algorithmic accountability, and user consent.
Suprema says it has designed its systems to comply with these frameworks. “Suprema recently has renewed two important international standard certifications regarding information security management (ISO/IEC 27001) and privacy information management (ISO/IEC 27701),” Kim said.
“All data are encrypted and protected,” he added. “Suprema services are modularized to protect devices and software and prevent integrators from changing settings during installation. There is no need for integrators to undergo complicated training to protect data.”
However, Kim made clear that final compliance lies with the end user. “Suprema also distributes guidelines to help customers safely manage users' personal information. However, it remains the responsibility of end users to comply with these guidelines and to ensure that servers are managed appropriately.”
Rise of agentic intelligence and autonomous workflows
Looking ahead, both ACRE and Suprema expect intelligent systems to assume a more autonomous role in access control. Agentic intelligence, which describes systems that can plan and act with limited human oversight, is expected to gain traction over the next five years.
“Agentic AI refers to artificial intelligence systems that can operate with a degree of autonomy, meaning they can make valuable decisions on behalf of security professionals,” said Groom. “These models will be able to learn what security teams need and then, make decisions, take actions, and adapt without needing constant human oversight.”
While agentic models are still in their early stages, Groom expects increased adoption as generative tools become embedded deeper into physical security platforms.
Suprema, meanwhile, is focused on preparing the integration channel. “Suprema provides training on new features of its software platform,” Kim said. “Training on installation, maintenance, and technical support is also available upon request. Upon completion of these training programs, participants receive a certification.”
A shifting landscape with shared risks
Both companies agree that while advanced automation will transform access control workflows, its success depends on industry-wide commitment to transparency, user education, and responsible deployment.
“AI-driven capabilities will evolve rapidly as new capabilities emerge, but the full range of benefits for security teams will depend on continued development and real-world applications across the industries we protect,” said Groom.
As technology evolves from a back-end tool to a front-line decision-maker, the stakes are rising for accuracy, compliance, and trust. For access control manufacturers, integrators, and end users alike, the road ahead will involve balancing innovation with responsibility, one system at a time.