A 16-year-old boy in the United States (US) was placed in handcuffs by a team of police officers.
The handcuffing was after an AI detection system said the teen was holding a gun.
However, he was actually holding a bag of chips instead.
The officers had held him at gunpoint before a search revealed the error.
According to WBAL-TV, the incident occurred Monday evening (20 Oct) at a high school in Maryland.
In a statement, police said they responded to an alert at around 7.20pm. Someone had reported a suspicious person with a weapon at Kenwood High School.
According to the teen, he was eating chips with a few friends just after football practice.
Suddenly, eight officers approached the group.
“At first, I didn’t know where they were going until they started walking toward me with guns,” the boy recalled. Officers then ordered the boy to get on the ground, confusing the teen.
“They made me get on my knees, put my hands behind my back, and cuffed me. Then, they searched me and they figured out I had nothing,” the student said.
After questioning the boy, the police realised that they had made an error.
Police showed the 16-year-old the photo that triggered the automated alert.
“I was just holding a Doritos bag — it was two hands and one finger out, and they said it looked like a gun,” he explained.
Source: WBFF FOX45 Baltimore on YouTube
Since last year, schools in Baltimore — a major city in Maryland — have begun using AI to detect guns within their premises. Kenwood High School, where this incident occurred, is one such school.
In response to the incident, the school wrote a letter to the parents to address the situation.
“At approximately 7 p.m., school administration received an alert that an individual on school grounds may have been in possession of a weapon. The Department of School Safety and Security quickly reviewed and cancelled the initial alert after confirming there was no weapon,” the school principal wrote.
The principal then states that the school understands how upsetting the incident was for the student in question. The school is providing counsellors to help its students who need support.
“Please know that ensuring the safety of our students and school community is one of our highest priorities,” the principal added.
Meanwhile, Omnilert, the AI gun detection software company used by the school, has refused to comment on “internal school procedures”.
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Featured image adapted from WBFF FOX45 Baltimore on YouTube.