Armed police handcuff teen after AI mistakes crisp packet for gun in US
37 minutes ago Share Save Liv McMahon, Technology reporter and Imran Rahman-Jones, Technology reporter Share Save
Getty Images Taki Allen, 16, said he had a packet of Doritos
A US teenager was handcuffed by armed police after an artificial intelligence (AI) system mistakenly said he was carrying a gun - when really he was holding a packet of crisps. "Police showed up, like eight cop cars, and then they all came out with guns pointed at me talking about getting on the ground," 16-year-old Baltimore pupil Taki Allen told local outlet WMAR-2 News. Baltimore County Police Department said their officers "responded appropriately and proportionally based on the information provided at the time". It said the AI alert was sent to human reviewers who found no threat - but the principal missed this and contacted the school's safety team, who ultimately called the police.
But the incident has prompted calls by some for the schools' procedures around the use of such technology to be reviewed. Mr Allen told local news he had finished a bag of Doritos after football practice, and put the empty packet in his pocket. He said 20 minutes later, armed police arrived. "He told me to get on my knees, arrested me and put me in cuffs," he said. Baltimore County Police Department told BBC News Mr Allen was handcuffed but not arrested. "The incident was safely resolved after it was determined there was no threat," they said in a statement. Mr Allen said he now waits inside after football practice, as he does not think it is "safe enough to go outside, especially eating a bag of chips or drinking something".
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