A firm that sells AI weapons scanners to schools is facing questions about the technology after a student was attacked with a knife that the system failed to spot.
According to The BBC:
On Halloween last year, student Ehni Ler Htoo was walking in the corridor of his school in Utica, New York, when another student walked up behind him and stabbed him with a knife.
Speaking exclusively to the BBC, the victim’s lawyer said the 18-year-old suffered multiple stab wounds to his head, neck, face, shoulder, back and hand.
The knife used in the attack was brought into Proctor High School despite a multimillion weapons detection system installed by a company called Evolv Technology.
Evolv Technology is a security firm that wants to replace traditional metal detectors with AI weapons scanners.
Instead of simply detecting metal, Evolv says its scanner “combines powerful sensor technology with proven artificial intelligence” to detect weapons.
When the system detects a concealed weapon – like knives, bombs or guns – it triggers an alert.
The company has publicly stated their system is highly accurate, and previously boasted its scanners can help to create “weapons-free zones”.
The company’s chief executive, Peter George, has also said that its systems “have the signatures for all the weapons that are out there”.
Previous press releases have listed the weapons the system can find – which include firearms, explosive devices, and knives.
However, a BBC investigation last year revealed that testing had found the system could not reliably detect large knives – after Evolv’s scanner missed 42% of large knives in 24 walk-throughs.
The system is used in major stadiums across the US, and the Manchester Arena in the UK. The testers said Evolv should inform potential clients.
Despite this, the company has been expanding into schools, and now claims to be in hundreds of them across the US.
