AI dash cams are one of the most visible—and powerful—parts of Samsara’s platform. The footage they capture provides critical evidence in the event of an accident, helps exonerate drivers from false or malicious claims, and detects issues like distracted driving, drowsiness, and the use of mobile phones behind the wheel.

At Samsara, I help make sure that dash cam footage is more than just video. I work on the Media Experience team in the UK. We’re responsible for making sure that all the media—video, audio, and still images—collected by Samsara’s dash cams and connected devices is accessible to customers, how they want it, and when they want it.

We don’t just handle the transfer of media from the camera to the cloud. Once the footage is pushed up to our platform, we process it, store it securely, and convert it so it plays smoothly on a web browser. We also add overlays like GPS location, vehicle speed, and driver behaviour directly onto the video.

Turning video into evidence

That means, when a customer downloads a clip, it’s not just raw footage. It’s the full package. That’s because when it comes to a driver being falsely accused after an incident—or when something unsafe happens on the road—context makes all the difference. It transforms the footage from “just video” into meaningful, actionable evidence. You’re not just seeing a clip of a truck driving down a road. Instead, you’re seeing where it was, how fast it was going, and whether the driver was alert or distracted.

All of these things are essential if you’re trying to understand what happened during an incident, trying to coach a driver, or prove that your team wasn’t at fault. Without that context, it’s just a video file. With all the context we provide, it’s a powerful insight tool.

Supporting every camera feed

We handle footage from inward- and outward-facing dash cams as well as third-party cameras plugged into our platform. We also process media from fixed-location CCTV-style setups, like cameras installed at depots, yards, or warehouses. Basically, if it’s media captured through Samsara’s ecosystem, we make sure it’s ready when people need it.

And we also provide reporting tools that show the health of the cameras across an organisation. It means fleet managers can see whether cameras are working, if they’re obstructed, or if they’ve been offline at any point. After all, there’s no point having cameras installed if they’re not recording when an incident happens. That’s why we help organisations avoid those blind spots and make sure they’re always covered.  

Privacy built in

And that’s not all. We’ve developed controls that give organisations the ability to disable video storage on the camera whilst maintaining the ability to detect AI events in real time, particularly for inward-facing cameras, where drivers may have concerns about being monitored.

We’ve also worked on geofence-triggered controls. For example, if a vehicle enters a sensitive location—like a government site—the system can automatically stop recording. This is a major step forward because before, customers would have had to physically unplug hardware to prevent recording. Now, they can set it up through software, which makes it much easier and helps build trust with drivers and customers.

What’s coming around the corner

Looking ahead, not only are we involved in building dash cam-related features, we’re also working on becoming a foundation technology within Samsara’s connected operations platform. This will let other teams build new media-based products more quickly by leveraging the APIs and media access that we provide. It will also help Samsara deliver new tools and innovations faster, which in turn, will help drivers stay safer, smarter, and more protected on the road.

Why it matters

There’s no doubt that our AI dashcams and the footage they produce improve safety, not just for drivers but for all road users and pedestrians. It’s also important to me. One of the biggest reasons I joined Samsara was because of the ethical impact that Samsara’s technology makes. I worked in fintech for over a decade, but when I joined Samsara, it was because I wanted a new challenge, something that aligned with my values.

I’ve seen drivers wrongly blamed for accidents, and the footage we helped produce has cleared their names. I’ve also seen dangerous driving, like drivers using phones near schools. It is right that we do everything we can to detect and stop this kind of behaviour. Knowing that the tools I help to create and manage can help save a life or protect someone’s livelihood is incredibly motivating. That’s why it’s meaningful to me.

Join us and make a difference

If you want to work on technology that helps protect lives, exonerate the innocent, and make roads safer for everyone, then come and join our team.