In this ISJ exclusive, Digital Content Editor, Eve Goode speaks with Cymoril Metivier, Digital Portfolio Director of Smith Detection about airport security screening.
How do you define digital transformation in the context of airport security screening?
Digital transformation in airport security screening is the fundamental shift from isolated, manual processes to an intelligent, connected ecosystem.
It’s about replacing disconnected systems with integrated platforms that strengthen security outcomes whilst improving operational efficiency and passenger experience.
This means security checkpoints where AI algorithms analyse threats in real time, where operational data informs human decisions instantly and where technology adapts to ever changing conditions.
It’s the difference between screeners managing isolated X-ray machines and security teams overseeing an intelligent network that provides complete visibility, remote capabilities and adaptive responses across their entire operation.
Ultimately, we define digital transformation as creating security environments where people can make faster, more confident and reliable data-driven decisions because they have better tools and better information.
Where integrated platforms connect your entire operation. Where advanced AI detection delivers consistent, accurate threat identification.
And where your team has the clarity and flexibility to respond to whatever operational demands or security challenges emerge.
That’s digital transformation: smarter, interoperable systems, informed decisions and stronger security.
What role do technology manufacturers play in responsibly deploying AI at the checkpoint?
As a manufacturer of security technology systems, our role is fundamentally about providing solutions that enable our customers to execute their security policies with confidence within the regulatory confines of the law.
This begins with understanding each customer’s operational reality. The challenges facing a major international hub are vastly different from those at a regional airport.
Regulatory frameworks vary significantly, infrastructure constraints create unique limitations and staffing models alongside passenger demographics generate specific operational demands.
Advanced AI must integrate seamlessly into these diverse yet equally important environments rather than forcing airports to reshape their operations around the technology.
Our proprietary iCMORE detection solution suite exemplifies this philosophy.
It’s our advanced AI object detection solution, purposely built to work seamlessly with our hardware in delivering complete, future-focused checkpoint systems.
How does digital transformation change the day-to-day experience for screening teams?
AI-powered detection like our iCMORE Pre-APIDS performs as an operator support tool, a kind of security blanket for screeners, helping them identify potential threat items faster and increasing throughput.
Instead of reviewing every single bag unaided, screeners work with intelligent algorithms that highlight areas requiring their attention, allowing them to make faster, more confident decisions.
Advanced detection technologies like iCMORE APIDS take this further, delivering the promise and potential of truly alarm-only checkpoint operations where operators intervene only when the system identifies something requiring their judgement.
This dramatically cuts the false alarms and unnecessary interruptions that erode concentration throughout long shifts.
The result is screeners who can maintain sharper focus on genuine security decisions rather than repetitive review tasks.
Remote screening capabilities change the operational picture entirely. Specialist screeners can review complex images from anywhere in the network rather than being tied to individual machines.
Experienced operators can support multiple checkpoints simultaneously. Teams can be deployed flexibly based on real-time demand rather than static assignments.
That’s digital transformation delivering tangible improvements to how security professionals actually work: less repetition, more meaningful focus and the flexibility to deploy expertise where it’s needed most.
Remote screening and centralised image processing (CIP) further transform the operational model.
Specialist screeners can review complex images from anywhere within an airport network rather than being tied to individual machines.
Expertise can be shared across multiple checkpoints, or even across multiple airports. For example, a central screening operation could support airports across Spain from a single location, dynamically allocating experienced operators based on real-time demand.
How does an open architecture approach improve the deployment and effectiveness of AI in aviation security systems?
Open architecture is generating significant interest within aviation security, and its value lies in how thoughtfully it is implemented rather than in the concept alone.
When applied responsibly, open architecture can give airports greater flexibility in how they design and evolve their security operations, enabling them to select capabilities from different vendors to meet specific operational or regulatory needs.
Platforms such as ELECTORA support this approach by enabling interoperability between screening technologies, operational systems and AI-driven tools.
Through a structured open architecture model, airports can integrate advanced AI capabilities while maintaining operational continuity and resilience.
This supports the industry’s broader move toward optimisation, where systems are expected to evolve over time rather than remain static.
At the same time, open architecture is not plug and play. In live aviation security environments that operate continuously, complexity must be carefully managed.
Multi-vendor deployments can introduce challenges around integration, compatibility and accountability if they are not governed by clear standards and shared responsibilities.
Without this structure, the very flexibility open architecture promises can create new operational risks.
This is why we advocate an open architecture approach delivered through defined frameworks such as the ELECTORA partner program, the ADA initiative and the use of EOS APIs.
These mechanisms are designed to ensure interoperability between vendors while preserving system reliability and performance.
They provide airports with genuine freedom of choice, supported by tested integrations and clear governance, rather than ad hoc connectivity.
By adopting open architecture in this way, airports can access the right AI capabilities at the right time, integrate them safely into existing environments and optimise their security operations over the long term.
The goal is not openness for its own sake but a controlled, standards-based ecosystem that balances flexibility, innovation and the reliability that aviation security demands.
Looking ahead, what does successful digital transformation look like for airports?
Looking ahead, successful digital transformation for airports means building a connected and resilient operational environment that delivers clarity, control and confidence without introducing unnecessary complexity.
As passenger volumes continue to rise and regulatory expectations intensify, airports increasingly expect digital capabilities such as agentic and generative AI to be embedded as standard.
These technologies sharpen operational visibility, support continuous optimisation and accelerate decision making across security operations.
Transformation succeeds when fragmented systems are replaced with integrated platforms that enable consistent performance, even in high pressure environments.
Access to the right data at the right time remains essential, but the real value comes from how that data is interpreted and applied to optimise performance on an ongoing basis.
AI driven optimisation enables airports to move beyond reactive management towards more predictive and assured operations.
A defining marker of progress is seamless integration across the screening operation.
Smiths Detection delivers this through ELECTORA, which unifies detection, image review, analytics and system performance into a single operational view, increasingly enhanced by agentic AI to support faster insight and more confident operational decisions.
By breaking down silos, airports gain faster situational awareness, more decisive responses and simpler day to day management.
Digital transformation also unlocks measurable efficiency and optimisation at scale.
This consistency supports operational confidence across lanes, teams and shifts, while creating a foundation for continuous improvement.
Through platforms such as iCMORE, Smiths Detection applies generative AI and advanced analytics to drive deeper operational insight, reinforcing our role in shaping how AI becomes the norm across airport security operations.
Ultimately, success for us as a manufacturer of cutting edge technology is defined by how effectively we enable our customers to execute their security policies.
By aligning intelligent platforms, automation and AI driven optimisation with each airport’s operational and regulatory requirements, Smiths Detection helps translate policy into dependable outcomes, equipping airports to deliver safer, smoother passenger journeys and sustained operational assurance.
