At Kenwood High School in Maryland, a high-profile incident occurred: an artificial intelligence-based surveillance system mistakenly identified a bag of Doritos chips as a firearm. As a result, a senior was detained, put on his knees, and handcuffed before the error was discovered.
This is reported by Business • Media
How Technology Worked Against the Student
The incident happened when the student, Taki Allen, was walking down the hallway holding a bag of chips. According to him, he simply extended his hands forward, and the threat identification system detected an object resembling a gun. The security service immediately responded according to protocol: the student was detained and searched.
Only after verification did it become clear that there was no threat. As reported by the school principal, Katie Smith, the alarm was quickly canceled by the security service, but she did not receive the message before she called the school inspector, who, in turn, involved the police.
Omnilert stated that the incident “occurred within the framework of standard procedure.”
Response from the Company and the Student’s Family
The security system provider, Omnilert, expressed sympathy over the incident and supported the student and his family. The company emphasized that the technology operated according to the algorithm, and the incident would serve as a valuable experience for further improving the system. Developers highlighted that their solutions are implemented in over a hundred educational institutions in the U.S. and have repeatedly helped prevent real threats. Representatives from Omnilert added that the system continuously learns from new data, and similar cases allow for improved object recognition accuracy.
Taki Allen’s parents noted that the incident caused significant stress for their son and made them reconsider the safety of using such technologies in schools. The state education department has initiated an internal investigation to assess the actions of security personnel and verify compliance with protocols.
Previously, there was another high-profile case in Florida where a student was arrested for asking ChatGPT about ways to kill a friend.