In a surprising turn of events, a student at Kenwood High School in Baltimore County, Maryland, was handcuffed and searched after an artificial intelligence (AI) security system wrongly identified a bag of Doritos as a possible firearm.

The student, identified as Taki Allen, recounted the incident in an interview with CNN affiliate WBAL.

“I was just holding a Doritos bag — it was two hands and one finger out, and they said it looked like a gun,” Allen explained. “They made me get on my knees, put my hands behind my back, and cuffed me.”

According to a statement issued by Principal Katie Smith, the school’s security department had already reviewed and canceled the initial gun detection alert.

However, unaware that the alert had been cleared, Smith reported the situation to the school resource officer, who subsequently contacted local law enforcement.

Omnilert, the company responsible for the school’s AI-based gun detection system, expressed regret over the incident.

“We regret that this incident occurred and wish to convey our concern to the student and the wider community affected by the events that followed,” the company said in a statement.

Despite the mishap, Omnilert maintained that “the process functioned as intended,” highlighting the challenges of balancing rapid-response safety systems with accuracy.

The event has since sparked conversations about the reliability and ethical implications of AI-driven security tools in schools, with parents and education advocates calling for improved oversight and clearer human verification protocols to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Source: Techcrunch