With the help of AI, Yandex taught a camera to tattle.

      It seems the era of blind, deaf home cameras is irrevocably ending. Yandex has decided that a simple “motion detected” is no longer enough for us, users. Now the company’s smart IP camera will not just silently observe but will become a full-fledged commentator on your home life, thanks to built-in artificial intelligence.

      From “something’s moving” to “the cat stole the sausage”

      Forget mysterious notifications. You no longer have to wonder what’s rustling in the hallway — a child, a dog, or a Martian. Now the AI will tell you that the kids came home from school, the cat jumped onto the sideboard, or the courier left a package. Recordings in the archive will also get text descriptions. Want to find the moment the dog swiped a slipper? You can now just scan the neural network’s subtitles. Convenient, though a little unsettling to think that you’re not only being watched but that all your actions are being logged.

      Voice tasking

      Previously, a smart home reacted to stimuli like noise, motion, or a person in the frame. Now you can give the camera a task in plain language. You can describe a situation like “the dog is chewing the sofa” or “the cat is heading to the fridge” and choose a reaction to that behavior. You can set a nightlight to turn on when the child tosses and turns, or receive an indignant photo when a pet ends up on the forbidden kitchen countertop. The camera becomes a vigilant overseer that understands not the letter but the spirit of your house rules.

      “I saw it all!”

      The apotheosis of control will be a new feature — a brief daily summary. Every 24 hours the neural network will send you a rundown of events. “In the day in frame: cat — 15 times, child — 8 times, mail carrier — 1 time. The cat tried to open the cabinet twice.” A great opportunity, in the evening instead of watching a show, to study the activity chart of your tailed household member. Perfect for those who want to be aware of absolutely every little detail.

      The cost of questions to the “all-seeing eye”

      All these wondrous new features, of course, require a subscription. The “Standard” (299 RUB) and “Extra” (699 RUB) plans open access to smart notifications, summarization, and other AI delights. For newcomers — the first month is free, to get used to the idea that your devices not only watch for you but also think.

      So now your home will be not just smart, but a little bit of a tattletale. Then again, who knows whose side the artificial intelligence will ultimately take — yours or that very cat, which has already been caught on camera by the fridge for the fifteenth time today.

      Meanwhile, the Nizhny Novgorod region is building a regional digital ecosystem as an integrated project that includes: connectivity in remote rural areas, smart services for city residents, its own data-driven management model, and active AI implementation.