Brand new Ring doorbell feature has people feeling like we're living in the dystopian future we were once warned about

The new Ring doorbell feature unveiled in a recent Super Bowl ad has people across social media buzzing with unease.

It was pitched as a helpful community tool, but instead, many felt it was unnervingly close to something out of a science fiction thriller.

Millions of viewers saw the 30-second spot during the game, and reactions ranged from ‘cool tech’ to ‘big brother is watching’.

It would seem that, despite the good intentions behind the message, the response suggests that many, many people are not ready for this kind of AI-powered surveillance in their everyday lives.

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It sounds really awesome on paper

The feature in question is called ‘Search Party’.

The Amazon-owned smart doorbell maker showcased it in a recent Super Bowl ad centered on a lost dog.

Traditionally, finding a missing pet means putting up flyers, canvassing the neighborhood, and praying for a sighting.

However, Search Party goes in a different direction, promising to tap into the massive network of Ring cameras in homes across the country for help.

Using AI to scan video feeds to match a lost pet’s appearance and location, it sounds like a dream for dog owners and cat lovers alike.

Many viewers were quick to point out the broader implications: What happens when that same AI scanning is used to identify people instead of pets?

Comments on YouTube and Twitter included everything from ‘this is like a dystopian movie intro,’ to ‘are we really supposed to believe the only reason Ring will use this is to find dogs?’

The unease is not simply about the technology itself, but the way the new Ring doorbell feature is being activated and presented.

Search Party will be turned on by default, meaning users may not even realize their devices are scanning every passerby unless they proactively opt out.

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This new Ring doorbell feature has many people worried

Critics have also taken aim at Ring’s statistics in the ad.

Ring claims that 10 million pets go missing each year and boasts that Search Party now finds more than a dog a day, which is questionable.

Some have noted that this framing misses the wider potential use cases – or misuses – of a tool that can analyze video feeds from millions of cameras.

Privacy experts are sounding alarms, too.

Chris Gilliard, author of Luxury Surveillance, told 404 Media that Ring’s commercial feels like ‘a clumsy attempt to put a cuddly face on a rather dystopian reality.’

Whether Search Party ends up helping reunite pets with their owners or sparks a broader debate about privacy and consent, one thing is clear.

People are watching Ring very closely right now, and not just through their doorbell cameras.

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