A Baltimore teenager was detained at gunpoint by police after an artificial intelligence system used at his school mistook a bag of chips for a firearm, reports the BBC. Taki Allen, 16, described to WMAR a chaotic scene at Kenwood High School in which eight police cars arrived and officers ordered him to the ground, all due to an AI-generated alert. Police in Baltimore County say they acted "appropriately and proportionally" based on the info they received and emphasized that Taki was handcuffed but not arrested, per the BBC.
The confusion began when the AI flagged Taki's empty Doritos bag in his pocket as a potential weapon. The alert was supposed to be reviewed by human staff, who found no threat, but that "no worries" message was missed by the principal, who then contacted the school safety team. Police were ultimately called as a result. Allen, reflecting on the incident, said he no longer feels safe waiting outside after football practice, fearing another misunderstanding could escalate. "I didn't feel like the school actually cared about me," he tells WBFF. "Because nobody came up to me after, not even the principal."
The event has triggered calls from local officials for a review of the school district's reliance on AI-powered weapon detection systems. Baltimore County Councilman Izzy Pakota has urged the school system to revisit its procedures, per the BBC. The AI provider in question, Omnilert, claims its technology is trained on real-world data to minimize false alarms. Allen, however, is unconvinced, stating, "I don't think no chip bag should be mistaken for a gun at all." The incident highlights growing concerns about the reliability of AI in high-stakes environments, particularly after another US company, Evolv Technology, faced scrutiny last year for making unsupported claims about its weapon detection capabilities.
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