Kansas schools want to introduce artificial weapon detection technology into buildings before the upcoming school year as a way to detect weapons on school grounds before children can be harmed.
There are already 30 states using the technology that Kansas lawmakers are exploring.
This year’s state education budget includes a $5 million grant that schools can apply for to bring this technology to their campus.
To be implemented, the AI systems must be patented, “designated as a qualified anti-terrorism technology,” in accordance with various industry standards, and be able to detect “three broad firearm classifications with a minimum of 300 subclassifications,” among other things.
ZeroEyes analyst Mario Hernandez demonstrates the use of artificial intelligence with surveillance cameras to identify visible weapons in the company’s operations center
The company, founded by military vets, produces AI technology aimed at thwarting school shootings before the trigger is pulled
Currently, there is only one company that meets the extensive list of standards: ZeroEyes, a military vet-founded company formed several years ago in the aftermath of the Parkland Shooting in Florida.
State Rep. Kristey Williams, chair of the K-12 Education Budget Committee, said that for the sake of continued school safety, governments need to have “someone or something monitoring 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.” monitors and detects. The AI does that.’
“We want to make sure that when our children go to school, there are eyes on them to keep them safe. That is our first priority,” she said.
Last week, Missouri became the latest state to pass legislation targeting ZeroEyes. The state will offer $2.5 million in grants to schools to purchase firearms detection software specifically designed as “anti-terrorism technology.”
The company uses AI with surveillance cameras to identify visible weapons and then sends an alert to an operations center staffed 24/7 by former law enforcement officers and military vets.
If a threat is deemed legitimate, an alert is immediately sent to school officials and local authorities.
The goal, according to Sam Alaimo, ZeroEyes co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer, is to “get that gun before the trigger is pulled, or before that gun gets to the door.”
While there are many advocates of the technology, some across the country are highly skeptical of the legislative tactics being implemented to get AI into schools.
The very, very specific bill on the Kansas governor’s desk includes a requirement that the company must have its product in at least 30 states, which Jason Stoddard, director of school safety and security for Charles County Public Schools in Maryland , called: ”probably the most egregious thing I’ve ever read.’
Kansas is the latest state to pass legislation that will lead to the implementation of ZeroEyes technology in some of its schools
The patented anti-terrorism technology has already been implemented in schools in 30 US states
Stoddard is chairman of the recently launched National Council of School Safety Directors, which was created to set standards for school safety officers and to resist vendors who are increasingly pitching certain products to legislators.
When states allocate millions of dollars for certain products, that often leaves less money for other important school safety efforts, such as electronic door locks, shatterproof windows, communications systems and security personnel, he said.
“The AI-powered weapon detection is absolutely amazing,” Stoddard said. “But it’s probably not the priority that 95 percent of schools in the United States need right now.”
In Florida, legislation to place ZeroEyes technology in just two counties resulted in a total bill of $920,000.
In February, ZeroEyes’ Chief Strategy Officer gave a presentation about the technology to the House K-12 Education Budget Committee.
The demo included the technology’s AI gun detection capability, as well as multiple actual surveillance photos taken by the technology of guns in schools, parking lots, and transportation hubs.
The technology remains expensive to purchase and implement at this time, but dozens of states have set up grant funds that schools can apply for to access the technology.
After the presentation, Adam Thomas, a Republican from Kansas, initially suggested that ZeroEyes be specifically mentioned in the funding legislation. The final version removed the company name but retained the criteria that essentially limited the name to ZeroEyes.
Kristey Williams, also a Republican, defended the specific selection of ZeroEyes, arguing that due to the urgency of the issue, namely student safety, the state did not have the time it would take to conduct a standard bidding process.
She said in April that she “didn’t feel like there was any other alternative.”
The current $5 million in grants will likely not be enough — likely by a long shot — to fund every school in Kansas, but the amount will increase once people see how well the safety technology works.