Summary
In Baltimore, a teenager was mistakenly targeted by police after an AI-powered security system flagged his crumpled Doritos bag as a potential weapon. The incident highlights the challenges and limitations of relying on artificial intelligence for security purposes.
The Incident: AI Mistakes Chips for a Weapon
At Kenwood High School in Baltimore, an AI-guided security system designed to detect weapons on campus mistakenly identified a crumpled bag of Doritos as a gun. This triggered a police response that nearly led to the teen’s arrest.
The Teen’s Experience
Taki Allen, the teenager involved, had just finished football practice and was sitting outside with friends when about eight police cars arrived. Officers approached him with guns drawn, ordered him to get on the ground, and handcuffed him. After a thorough search, they found no weapons on him but discovered the bag of chips nearby.
Reflecting on the ordeal, Allen shared with WBAL-TV 11, “It was mainly like, am I gonna die? Are they going to kill me? They showed me the picture, said that looks like a gun, I said, ‘no, it’s chips.'”
School and Police Response
The school’s principal explained that around 7 p.m., an alert was triggered indicating a possible weapon on campus. The Department of School Safety and Security reviewed and quickly canceled the alert after confirming no weapon was present. The school resource officer then contacted local police for support. Officers responded promptly, searched the individual, and confirmed no weapons were found.
Neither the police nor school officials have explicitly confirmed the Doritos bag was the cause of the alert, but they have not denied it either. Gizmodo reached out to Kenwood High School and Baltimore County police for comments.
About the AI Security System
The AI system involved is provided by Omnilert, a company specializing in AI-powered active shooter prevention technology. Their software has been used in Baltimore County Public Schools since last year to help detect potential threats. Omnilert offers an AI gun detection solution tailored for schools. Gizmodo has also contacted Omnilert for further comment.