Tech
Ring Rolls Out “Search Party”: AI-Powered Pet Finder Feature Aims to Help Locate Lost Dogs
Ring’s new Search Party feature uses AI and community cameras to help locate lost dogs. Learn how it works, how to opt out, and the privacy issues it raises.
Last Updated on October 17, 2025 by Daily News Staff
Published October 14, 2025
🐶 A New Kind of Neighborhood Watch — for Pets
Ring, the home security company best known for its video doorbells, is expanding its technology beyond package protection and porch safety. The company has announced a new feature called “Search Party,” designed to help owners locate lost pets — beginning with dogs.
This innovative feature uses artificial intelligence (AI) and Ring’s extensive network of home security cameras to identify and track sightings of missing pets in a given neighborhood. While the technology promises to reunite families with their furry friends, it also raises new questions about privacy, data use, and community consent.
🔍 How Search Party Works
The new Search Party tool builds on Ring’s existing pet-friendly ecosystem, which already includes Pet Profiles, Lost Pet posts in the Neighbors app, and Ring Pet Tags — QR-coded ID tags that connect to a pet’s online profile.
Search Party goes a step further.
Report a Missing Dog: When a user reports a lost pet in the Ring app, they upload a photo and details like breed, color, and last known location. AI Video Scanning: Nearby Ring cameras — with owners’ permission — use AI to scan recorded video for dogs that match the missing pet’s image. Community Alerts: If the system identifies a possible match, the camera owner is notified and can choose whether to share the footage with the pet’s owner.
Initially, the feature focuses on dogs, with plans to expand to cats and other pets in the future.
🧠 A Promising Use of Smart Tech
There’s no doubt that Search Party showcases the positive potential of connected devices and community cooperation.
Potential benefits include:
Faster pet recovery: Quick identification through shared footage could reunite pets and owners in hours instead of days. Community engagement: Neighbors can actively help one another, creating a modern version of the “missing pet flyer” system. No extra hardware required: Unlike GPS collars or Bluetooth trackers, Search Party uses existing cameras and the Ring app network. Peace of mind: Even if the system doesn’t immediately locate a pet, owners gain another tool in their search arsenal.
⚠️ Privacy and Practical Concerns
However, with great tech comes great responsibility — and potential drawbacks.
1. Privacy Questions:
Even though Search Party is opt-in after launch, users will be automatically included by default. Critics worry that such a system could gradually normalize broader surveillance — even for well-intentioned purposes.
2. Misidentifications:
AI image recognition isn’t perfect. A golden retriever in poor lighting could easily be mistaken for another dog, leading to false alerts or unnecessary confusion.
3. Neighborhood Tension:
Some homeowners may feel pressured to participate or uneasy about footage being analyzed or shared, even indirectly. Misunderstandings could arise if people feel their privacy is being compromised.
4. Limited Coverage:
The system’s success depends on how many Ring devices are active in a given area. In rural or low-density neighborhoods, the feature may offer little benefit.
5. False Sense of Security:
While helpful, Search Party is not a live GPS tracker. Owners could risk delaying traditional search methods like microchip scanning, shelter visits, or posting flyers.
🔒 Opt-Out and Privacy Controls
For users concerned about privacy, Ring provides a way to opt out of Search Party participation:
Default Participation: When the feature rolls out, most compatible Ring camera owners will be automatically included. How to Opt Out: In the Ring app, go to Settings → Privacy → Search Party Participation and toggle it off to prevent your camera footage from being used in AI scanning for missing pets. What Opting Out Means: Your devices won’t contribute to Search Party video analysis or alerts, but you can still use other pet features such as Pet Profiles and Lost Pet posts. Limited AI Review: Even when opted in, Ring says footage is analyzed by AI only for motion clips and possible matches — not continuously streamed — and users are always notified before sharing any video.
Privacy experts still recommend reviewing these settings regularly, as updates may change how data is processed or shared.
🏡 The Bigger Picture
Search Party highlights a broader trend in home tech: the blending of community safety, AI innovation, and surveillance infrastructure. It’s a natural evolution of the smart home, but one that continues to test the boundaries between convenience and privacy.
For Ring, this rollout could redefine how its devices are viewed — not just as tools for security, but as instruments for community care. For users, it’s another reminder to weigh the value of connectivity against the importance of personal and neighborhood privacy.
💬 Final Thoughts
The idea of using smart cameras to find lost pets feels both heartwarming and futuristic — a clear example of technology’s ability to serve everyday needs. Yet, it also underscores the ongoing conversation about where we draw the line between helping and watching.
For now, Search Party stands as both a breakthrough and a balancing act — one that asks users to decide how much of their neighborhood they’re willing to share in the name of compassion.
🔗 Related Links
Ring’s Search Party Announcement (About Amazon)
TechCrunch: “Ring Cameras Can Now Recognize Faces and Help Find Lost Pets”
Tom’s Guide: “How Ring’s Search Party Works”
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Tech
When ‘Head in the Clouds’ Means Staying Ahead
Head in the Clouds: Cloud is no longer just storage—it’s the intelligent core of modern business. Explore how “cognitive cloud” blends AI and cloud infrastructure to enable real-time, self-optimizing operations, improve customer experiences, and accelerate enterprise modernization.
Last Updated on February 7, 2026 by Daily News Staff
When ‘Head in the Clouds’ Means Staying Ahead
(Family Features) You approve a mortgage in minutes, your medical claim is processed without a phone call and an order that left the warehouse this morning lands at your door by dinner. These moments define the rhythm of an economy powered by intelligent cloud infrastructure. Once seen as remote storage, the cloud has become the operational core where data, AI models and autonomous systems converge to make business faster, safer and more human. In this new reality, the smartest companies aren’t looking up to the cloud; they’re operating within it. Public cloud spending is projected to reach $723 billion in 2025, according to Gartner research, reflecting a 21% increase year over year. At the same time, 90% of organizations are expected to adopt hybrid cloud by 2027. As cloud becomes the universal infrastructure for enterprise operations, the systems being built today aren’t just hosted in the cloud, they’re learning from it and adapting to it. Any cloud strategy that doesn’t account for AI workloads as native risks falling behind, holding the business back from delivering the experiences consumers rely on every day. After more than a decade of experimentation, most enterprises are still only partway up the curve. Based on Cognizant’s experience, roughly 1 in 5 enterprise workloads has moved to the cloud, while many of the most critical, including core banking, health care claims and enterprise resource planning, remain tied to legacy systems. These older environments were never designed for the scale or intelligence the modern economy demands. The next wave of progress – AI-driven products, predictive operations and autonomous decision-making – depends on cloud architectures designed to support intelligence natively. This means cloud and AI will advance together or not at all.The Cognitive Cloud: Cloud and AI as One System
For years, many organizations treated migration as a finish line. Applications were lifted and shifted into the cloud with little redesign, trading one set of constraints for another. The result, in many cases, has been higher costs, fragmented data and limited room for innovation. “Cognitive cloud” represents a new phase of evolution. Imagine every process, from customer service to supply-chain management, powered by AI models that learn, reason and act within secure cloud environments. These systems store and interpret data, detect patterns, anticipate demand and automate decisions at a scale humans simply cannot match. In this architecture, AI and cloud operate in concert. The cloud provides computing power, scale and governance while AI adds autonomy, context and insight. Together, they form an integrated platform where cloud foundations and AI intelligence combine to enable collaboration between people and systems. This marks the rise of the responsive enterprise; one that senses change, adjusts instantly and builds trust through reliability. Cognitive cloud platforms combine data fabric, observability, FinOps and SecOps into an intelligent core that regulates itself in real time. The result is invisible to consumers but felt in every interaction: fewer errors, faster responses and consistent experiences.Consumer Impact is Growing
The impact of cognitive cloud is already visible. In health care, 65% of U.S. insurance claims run through modernized, cloud-enabled platforms designed to reduce errors and speed up reimbursement. In the life sciences industry, a pharmaceuticals and diagnostics firm used cloud-native automation to increase clinical trial investigations by 20%, helping get treatments to patients sooner. In food service, intelligent cloud systems have reduced peak staffing needs by 35%, in part through real-time demand forecasting and automated kitchen operation. In insurance, modernization has produced multi-million-dollar savings and faster policy issuance, improving both customer experience and financial performance. Beneath these outcomes is the same principle: architecture that learns and responds in real time. AI-driven cloud systems process vast volumes of data, identify patterns as they emerge and automate routines so people can focus on innovation, care and service. For businesses, this means fewer bottlenecks and more predictive operations. For consumers, it means smarter, faster, more reliable services, quietly shaping everyday life. While cloud engineering and AI disciplines remain distinct, their outcomes are increasingly intertwined. The most advanced architectures now treat intelligence and infrastructure as complementary forces, each amplifying the other.Looking Ahead
This transformation is already underway. Self-correcting systems predict disruptions before they happen, AI models adapt to market shifts in real time and operations learn from every transaction. The organizations mastering this convergence are quietly redefining themselves and the competitive landscape. Cloud and AI have become interdependent priorities within a shared ecosystem that moves data, decisions and experiences at the speed customers expect. Companies that modernize around this reality and treat intelligence as infrastructure will likely be empowered to reinvent continuously. Those that don’t may spend more time maintaining the systems of yesterday than building the businesses of tomorrow. Learn more at cognizant.com. Photo courtesy of ShutterstockCulver’s Thank You Farmers® Project Hits $8 Million Donation MilestoneLink: https://stmdailynews.com/culvers-thank-you-farmers-project-hits-8-million-donation-milestone/
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The Knowledge
Beneath the Waves: The Global Push to Build Undersea Railways
Undersea railways are transforming transportation, turning oceans from barriers into gateways. Proven by tunnels like the Channel and Seikan, these innovations offer cleaner, reliable connections for passengers and freight. Ongoing projects in China and Europe, alongside future proposals, signal a new era of global mobility beneath the waves.
For most of modern history, oceans have acted as natural barriers—dividing nations, slowing trade, and shaping how cities grow. But beneath the waves, a quiet transportation revolution is underway. Infrastructure once limited by geography is now being reimagined through undersea railways.
Undersea rail tunnels—like the Channel Tunnel and Japan’s Seikan Tunnel—proved decades ago that trains could reliably travel beneath the ocean floor. Today, new projects are expanding that vision even further.
Around the world, engineers and governments are investing in undersea railways—tunnels that allow high-speed trains to travel beneath oceans and seas. Once considered science fiction, these projects are now operational, under construction, or actively being planned.
Undersea Rail Is Already a Reality
Japan’s Seikan Tunnel and the Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France proved decades ago that undersea railways are not only possible, but reliable. These tunnels carry passengers and freight beneath the sea every day, reshaping regional connectivity.
Undersea railways are cleaner than short-haul flights, more resilient than bridges, and capable of lasting more than a century. As climate pressures and congestion increase, rail beneath the sea is emerging as a practical solution for future mobility.
What’s Being Built Right Now
China is currently constructing the Jintang Undersea Railway Tunnel as part of the Ningbo–Zhoushan high-speed rail line, while Europe’s Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link will soon connect Denmark and Germany beneath the Baltic Sea. These projects highlight how transportation and technology are converging to solve modern mobility challenges.
The Mega-Projects Still on the Drawing Board
Looking ahead, proposals such as the Helsinki–Tallinn Tunnel and the long-studied Strait of Gibraltar rail tunnel could reshape global affairs by linking regions—and even continents—once separated by water.
Why Undersea Rail Matters
The future of transportation may not rise above the ocean—but run quietly beneath it.
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CES 2026
Inside the Computing Power Behind Spatial Filmmaking: Hugh Hou Goes Hands-On at GIGABYTE Suite During CES 2026
Inside the Computing Power Behind Spatial Filmmaking: Hugh Hou Goes Hands-On at GIGABYTE Suite During CES 2026
Spatial filmmaking is having a moment—but at CES 2026, the more interesting story wasn’t a glossy trailer or a perfectly controlled demo. It was the workflow.
According to a recent GIGABYTE press release, VR filmmaker and educator Hugh Hou ran a live spatial computing demonstration inside the GIGABYTE suite, walking attendees through how immersive video is actually produced in real-world conditions—capture to post to playback—without leaning on pre-rendered “best case scenario” content. In other words: not theory, not a lab. A production pipeline, running live, on a show floor.
A full spatial pipeline—executed live
The demo gave attendees a front-row view of a complete spatial filmmaking pipeline:
- Capture
- Post-production
- Final playback across multiple devices
And the key detail here is that the workflow was executed live at CES—mirroring the same processes used in commercial XR projects. That matters because spatial video isn’t forgiving. Once you’re working in 360-degree environments (and pushing into 8K), you’re no longer just chasing “fast.” You’re chasing:
- System stability
- Performance consistency
- Thermal reliability
Those are the unsexy requirements that make or break actual production days.
Playback across Meta Quest, Apple Vision Pro, and Galaxy XR
The session culminated with attendees watching a two-minute spatial film trailer across:
- Meta Quest
- Apple Vision Pro
- Newly launched Galaxy XR headsets
- Plus a 3D tablet display offering an additional 180-degree viewing option
That multi-device playback is a quiet flex. Spatial content doesn’t live in one ecosystem anymore—creators are being pulled toward cross-platform deliverables, which adds even more pressure on the pipeline to stay clean and consistent.
Where AI fits (when it’s not the headline)
One of the better notes in the release: AI wasn’t positioned as a shiny feature. It was framed as what it’s becoming for a lot of editors—an embedded toolset that speeds up the grind without hijacking the creative process.
In the demo, AI-assisted processes supported tasks like:
- Enhancement
- Tracking
- Preview workflows
The footage moved through industry-standard software—Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve—with AI-based:
- Upscaling
- Noise reduction
- Detail refinement
And in immersive VR, those steps aren’t optional polish. Any artifact, softness, or weird noise pattern becomes painfully obvious when the viewer can look anywhere.
Why the hardware platform matters for spatial workloads
Underneath the demo was a custom-built GIGABYTE AI PC designed for sustained spatial video workloads. Per the release, the system included:
- AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor
- Radeon AI PRO R9700 AI TOP GPU
- X870E AORUS MASTER X3D ICE motherboard
The point GIGABYTE is making is less “look at these parts” and more: spatial computing workloads demand a platform that can run hard continuously—real-time 8K playback and rendering—without throttling, crashing, or drifting into inconsistent performance.
That’s the difference between “cool demo” and “reliable production machine.”
The bigger takeaway: spatial filmmaking is moving from experiment to repeatable process
By running a demanding spatial filmmaking workflow live—and repeatedly—at CES 2026, GIGABYTE is positioning spatial production as something creators can depend on, not just test-drive.
And that’s the shift worth watching in 2026: spatial filmmaking isn’t just about headsets getting better. It’s about the behind-the-scenes pipeline becoming stable enough that creators can treat immersive production like a real, repeatable craft—because the tools finally hold up under pressure.
Source:PRNewswire – GIGABYTE press release
Welcome to the Consumer Corner section of STM Daily News, your ultimate destination for savvy shopping and informed decision-making! Dive into a treasure trove of insights and reviews covering everything from the hottest toys that spark joy in your little ones to the latest electronic gadgets that simplify your life. Explore our comprehensive guides on stylish home furnishings, discover smart tips for buying a home or enhancing your living space with creative improvement ideas, and get the lowdown on the best cars through our detailed auto reviews. Whether you’re making a major purchase or simply seeking inspiration, the Consumer Corner is here to empower you every step of the way—unlock the keys to becoming a smarter consumer today!
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