School’s AI system mistakes a bag of chips for a gun

The AI gun-detection system at Kenwood High School mistakenly flagged a crumpled bag of Doritos as a firearm, triggering a police response. The 16-year-old had finished eating a bag of Doritos and crumpled it in his pocket when he was done. Moments later, eight police cars arrived with officers drawing their weapons. Superintendent Dr. Myriam Rogers said the programme is based on human verification and signalled an alert for humans to check.

Principal Kate Smith said it was upsetting for the student and for others who witnessed the incident. AI safety tools are designed to protect students, but they do make mistakes, and until they can reliably tell the difference between a threat and a harmless snack, stronger guardrails and more human sense are needed, according to Malwarebytes.