AI Mistake: Chips Flagged as Gun at High School

Imagine this: you’re just chilling with friends after football practice, enjoying a snack, when suddenly, police cars swarm the area, guns drawn, ordering you to the ground. Sounds like a scene from a movie, right? Sadly, this was the reality for a student at Kenwood High School in Baltimore, Maryland, all because an AI security system mistook a bag of chips for a weapon.

A Bag of Doritos Sparks a Police Response

Taki Allen was reportedly enjoying some Doritos with friends on Monday, October 20, 2025, when the alarming incident unfolded. According to WBAL-TV 11 News, officers approached Allen with their weapons drawn, demanding he get on his knees and place his hands behind his back for handcuffing. It was a terrifying moment, especially when he realized the reason for the commotion.

After confirming Allen was unarmed, officers discovered the culprit: a crumpled bag of chips on the ground. They explained that an AI detector had flagged the bag as a gun while Allen was holding it. Allen recounted how the AI interpreted his grip on the Doritos bag as resembling a firearm, a detail captured in a photo from the school’s camera that triggered the alert.

School’s Response and AI Implementation

Kenwood High School’s principal, Catherine Smith, sent a letter to parents addressing the incident. The school’s administrators received an alert around 7 p.m. EST on October 20, 2025, indicating a potential weapon on campus. While the Department of School Safety and Security initially reviewed the footage and determined there was no actual gun, the school resource officer still involved law enforcement.

The letter acknowledged the distress caused to the student involved and witnesses, assuring that counselors would provide support. It also reiterated the school’s commitment to student safety. This incident highlights a broader concern about the reliability of AI gun detection systems in schools.

Baltimore County’s AI Gun Detection Rollout

Baltimore County Public Schools had announced the rollout of AI firearm detection technology across all school buildings back in May 2024. The system, provided by Omnilert, uses internal and external cameras to identify potential weapons and alert safety teams and law enforcement. However, the district had previously noted that the AI struggles to reliably distinguish between real firearms and look-alike weapons.

Since implementing the technology…staff and Baltimore County police had already received several after-hours alerts when cameras detected look-alike firearms on school property, because it is ‘impossible’ for the system to reliably distinguish them from real weapons. — Baltimore County Public Schools Notice

This past incident serves as a stark reminder of the potential for unintended consequences when deploying advanced AI technology in sensitive environments like schools. The district’s prior notice cautioned against bringing any firearms, including replicas, onto school property, precisely to avoid such situations.