At Kenwood High School in Maryland, a security system using artificial intelligence mistakenly identified a bag of Doritos chips in a student’s hands as a firearm. As a result, the alarm triggered the detention of a senior student, who was forcibly brought to his knees, handcuffed, and searched. It was only after this that it became clear there was no threat.
This is reported by Finway
How the Incident Occurred at Kenwood School
The incident happened when student Taki Allen was walking down the hallway with a bag of chips in his hands. According to him, he simply extended his hands forward, and the threat recognition system detected “an object resembling a gun.” Security personnel immediately responded by implementing the detention protocol. School principal Katie Smith stated that the alarm was promptly canceled by the security service; however, she did not receive the notification in time and managed to call the school inspector, who in turn notified the police.
Omnilert stated that the incident “occurred within the framework of standard procedure.”
Company’s Response and Next Steps
Omnilert, the developer of the artificial intelligence-based system, expressed regret over the incident and support for the student and his family. Company representatives emphasized that the system operated according to the established algorithms and is designed to minimize human errors in detecting potential threats. According to the developers, the technology continuously self-trains on new data, and such incidents help improve recognition algorithms. To date, Omnilert’s solution has been implemented in over a hundred educational institutions in the U.S., where it has already helped prevent real incidents.
Taki Allen’s parents noted that the event caused significant stress for their son and raised questions about the appropriateness of using such technologies in schools. Meanwhile, the local education department has initiated an internal investigation to verify how correctly the staff adhered to the protocol during this incident.