Police officers and security guards stand guard at Google’s annual developer conference.<\/p>\n
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Dossett said he’s also noticed an uptick in protesters trying to gain access to corporate campus buildings to record videos or take pictures to get their messages to the public.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“When people try to invade a company’s space and film it on camera and it goes viral \u2014 that’s something other companies see and think ‘we don’t want that to happen to us,'” Dossett said. “It could affect their brand but largely, it’s been about safety of the people.”<\/p>\n
At Build, Microsoft’s use of undercover guards plays into a growing trend, experts said.<\/p>\n
“They’ll be in the crowd and say ‘we have a suspicious male who’s wearing a white shirt in row three,'” Bombace said. “There’s a lot that goes on that the average person doesn’t recognize and that’s good.”<\/p>\n
It’s not just at conferences and on campuses where companies are taking extra measures for protection.<\/p>\n
Google lifted<\/a> Pichai’s security costs by 22% in 2024 to $8.27 million. At least a dozen S&P 500 companies have highlighted increased security costs, Reuters reported last month, based on an\u00a0analysis<\/a> of recent disclosures. Bombace said the AI arms race is a big reason for companies to boost spending in that area.<\/p>\n“It’s a race right now and that leads to increased security,” Bombace said. He added that to foreign adversaries, “technology becomes the No. 1 target.”<\/p>\n
WATCH:<\/strong> Balancing search, AI at Google I\/O<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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