Date: Thursday 24th September 2026

Time: 11:00 - 12:00 

Venue: Online

Event Overview

Physical security is moving quickly towards AI tools that help operators make decisions, and the industry risks treating AI as a magic fix for complex problems. Vendors sell computer vision and machine learning as an easy answer, but one crucial question gets overlooked: how does the person watching the screens actually react when the machine flags something?

Drawing on frontline experience running security at Manchester's AO Arena and in hostile oil and gas regions across the Sahel, Martin Lynch's research examines what really happens when an operator meets an AI prompt under pressure. He looks at the thinking traps, such as over-trusting the system and fixating on the first thing seen, that shape split-second decisions with complex data feeds in high-stress conditions.

The aim is practical: to cut through the sales pitch and help security teams use these tools well under Martyn's Law.

Speakers:

Martin Lynch is the Head of Security for Manchester’s AO Arena. The Arena has seen a paradigm shift in its security operations during his stewardship, including comprehensive changes in the use of technology. Martin holds a Master’s degree in counter terrorism.

Solving real-world security problems brought Martin to the University of Portsmouth, where he is in the final year of a doctorate in security risk management. Martin’s work explores how human security officers react to and understand artificial intelligence in security operational technology.

** Open to SyI Members Only **