A young techie in Kerala is making the world a safer place by converting ordinary CCTV cameras into an AI-driven system that can track intrusions and analyse crowd management to send timely alerts and prevent disasters.
Yes, 24-year-old Midhun Manikandan from Palakkad, who won the title of World Robotics Champion at the prestigious Technoxian World Robotics event, competing against 5,000 teams from 21 countries, is now implementing projects that turn ordinary CCTV systems into AI-driven technology for enhanced safety and security. His startup, Jezt AI (Jezt Technologies), is proving that one doesn’t need expensive hardware upgrades to make cameras intelligent.
The idea to transform normal CCTVs into AI-driven systems struck him while he was pursuing his passion for integrating AI into existing hardware systems.
“Even the best hardware tools are mere switching machines — they can move but cannot think. To make them more result-driven, they need to be integrated with AI,” he told Open Digest.
In 2023, while working on a website development project at a client’s office, he turned the existing CCTV camera system into an intelligent system that keeps track of all activities at the office and issues alerts if there is any unusual activity.
In fact, his experimental project evolved into an AI-driven product called Jezt Eye — a powerful platform that converts any standard CCTV setup into an intelligent system without requiring hardware upgrades.
“Jezt is not a surveillance tool; it’s a system for boosting efficiency, security, and safety,” he said, adding that the system can be used in different scenarios such as: Human–Animal Conflict: The system tracks animals approaching residential areas and issues instant alerts, Crowd Control: For temple festivals or public events, it monitors crowd density in real time and alerts authorities about possible stampedes, Theft & Safety: It identifies unauthorized entry into homes or businesses and detects whether workers in factories are not wearing safety gear such as helmets or masks.
Today, Jezt is valued at Rs 5 crore, and he is aiming to increase the valuation to Rs 20–30 crore. The company’s efficiency has impressed global clients, securing a project from the UAE’s Federal National Council (FNC).
“In India, you have to educate officials about AI, and the tender process takes months. In the UAE, it’s about speed. We pitched, they liked it, and we were live in a month,” he said, adding that Jezt has been selected by the Kerala Startup Mission as one of five companies for expansion into Europe, with a base planned in Brussels.
