Honeywell unveils AI tools to cut false fire alarms

Honeywell Technologies has launched new AI-based building automation tools and fire safety products, including a building management platform and detector technology aimed at cutting unwanted fire alarms.

The releases span building operations, fire and life safety, and security, and were introduced at the company's Accelerate 2026 customer event.

At the centre of the announcement is EBI One, a new command-and-control platform for building operators. It uses the intelligence layer from Honeywell's Forge Cognition platform to continuously assess conditions and guide operator actions.

EBI One is built on the company's Enterprise Buildings Integrator platform, which is used in more than 30,000 buildings. The new system includes conversational AI, alarm assistance and open integration with other building systems.

The fire and life safety updates focus on earlier detection and incident response. They include low-level carbon monoxide monitoring, giving operators immediate visibility of concentration levels and trend analysis.

Honeywell is also introducing System Sensor Distinguish detector technology, designed to distinguish between fire signatures and conditions such as steam, dust and mist. The aim is to reduce nuisance alarms, a persistent issue for facilities teams and emergency responders.

Another addition is Incident Command, a software application that brings incident information, accountability data, operating procedures and live information from connected buildings into a single view. It is intended to help responders track changing conditions during an incident.

Juan Picon, President and CEO of Honeywell Technologies Building Automation, said customers are managing more complex environments with fewer skilled staff available.

"Buildings are at an inflection point, with owners and operators being asked to manage increasingly complex environments, often with fewer skilled resources," said Juan Picon, President and CEO of Honeywell Technologies Building Automation.

"Customers today need more than connected systems and volumes of data. They need technologies that turn information into actionable intelligence, simplify operations and enable better decisions."

Honeywell linked the launches to its broader push into AI-led building operations. The company recently introduced Forge Cognition, an agentic AI and simulation platform developed with NVIDIA and Dell Technologies.

According to Honeywell, a co-creation deployment of Forge Cognition at NVIDIA's headquarters in Santa Clara cut unnecessary alerts by an average of 90 per cent. It also identified a potential reduction of up to 10 per cent in energy and utility consumption.

Security plans

Alongside the products being launched now, Honeywell outlined further work in building security software. The LenelS2 Adaptive Intelligence Suite will add AI-weighted alarm management, anomaly detection, natural-language reporting, guided workflows and unified dashboards to existing security platforms.

The suite is intended to sit on top of current installations, starting with LenelS2 OnGuard, allowing customers to update operations without replacing existing systems. These functions are designed to reduce alarm fatigue and improve situational awareness for security teams.

Framework update

Honeywell also detailed the next generation of its Niagara framework, known as Niagara 5. The framework is designed to connect systems across heating, ventilation, air conditioning, fire, security, access control, lighting and energy, including equipment from different vendors.

Combined with Forge Cognition, Niagara 5 is intended to reduce engineering and commissioning work for building owners, operators and system integrators.

Picon said the company sees AI and automation as part of a wider shift in building management.

"At Accelerate 2026, we're demonstrating how Honeywell Technologies is combining decades of building automation expertise with AI and advanced technologies to help customers address these challenges and accelerate the transition to autonomous building operations," he said.